Old Stories
by Strange Hearts
Summary: Stories that I began writing only to stop because I felt I messed up in them after getting writer's block, and rereading them to get back on the point of them. Most of these are being rewritten, but this is where the way they were originally going can be found. Ratings can range from K to M.
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

* * *

_Just simply stories that I started only to get writer's block on them and ended up taking down because, rereading them, I saw that I didn't like how they were going and I felt as though I'd messed up somewhere in typing them. While these can be continued by someone else, I myself am rewriting many of them to be what I consider to be better, so they are not completely abandoned. Still, if you wish to adopt one of these to complete yourself, you can ask for permission - doesn't mean that it will be given, though.  
_

_Anyway, if you just liked the story in general, this is where it's to be found, and you can reread up to where I ended up stopping on it. And, if you have a question about it - like, have I started rewriting it or anything like that, just contact me and ask me about it, or review and ask. So long as you've signed in and left me a way to get ahold of you, I will do just that._

_Strange Hearts_


	2. Old Story I

_**Story was called I Do Love You and the original author - the one I adopted it from - was Alynelovesyou.**** Took it down because I didn't like where i was going with it, and wanted to change that.**  
_

* * *

**Chapter One – E-Mails**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

_Yet another teen drinking article from Isabella Swan_ I thought as I paused in my typing to look at the clock. Three o'clock pm read back at me. It was almost the time that I could get off of work and go home. I went back to the article, bored out of my mind. This was about the twentieth time that I've written about teen drinking. I wished that they would stop giving me this article, since it still didn't seem to be getting to anyone. Teens were still drinking, but does that stop my boss, Ms. Goodmen, from making me do the article over and over again. Nope, it didn't.

Not that I did it without a fight. I have tried to get my boss to think about doing something like eating disorders or speedo patting on the swim team, but every time I suggest something, I always get told the same answer, 'Stick with the topic or you're fired!' I think Ms. Goodmen did that because she was jealous that I came up with better ideas than she does.

I typed out a few more lines before glancing at the clock again. 3:21 pm. I sighed. There were only nine more minutes before I was done for the day. I decided to stop where I was at, saving the article before closing it down. I bit my lip. I couldn't leave my office until 3:30. I thought about what I could do to pass the time before deciding to see if I had any unread e-mails. I pulled up my messenger, making sure that my status was invisible as I saw that I had several unread e-mails.

I opened up my messenger to see who had sent me e-mails. Three of them were junk mail, which I immediately deleted. One was from my mother, another from my father. Two of them came from my co-worker, Mike Newton. The final one said Unknown. I thought about which one to open first before deciding to open my mother's.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Renee Dwyer**_

_**Subject: [no subject]**_

_**Hey honey, just seeing what you are up to. Why haven't you called, it's been awhile. I was thinking that maybe Phil and I could come visit you. E-mail me back, or call.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Mom**_

I rolled my eyes at her non-chalant attempt to get invited to my home once again. Every since I got my two-story Victorian townhouse, she been trying to get an invite to stay there awhile. I guessed that she really liked my new home.

Hitting the reply button, I quickly composed a message, letting her know how I was, telling her I was sorry that I hadn't called – though it had only been three days since I had called her last – and letting her know that I wasn't sure when she could visit, but I would try to get it to be soon.

After sending my reply, I opened the e-mail from my father next. Part of me wondered why he e-mailed me, as he didn't do it that often.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Charlie Swan**_

_**Subject: [no subject]**_

_**I won't be home for three weeks. Had to go to New York. Don't worry, everything's okay.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Dad**_

Oh, dad. He always seemed to be going somewhere since he and mom split up. I didn't know why he felt the need to tell me. I had moved out of his house about two months ago, and I had only lived there for about two years. I guess he just got into the habit of telling someone – me – where he was going.

I bit my lip as I looked at my remaining messages. I wasn't really sure that I wanted to find out why Mike had decided to e-mail me, though I had a good idea. Sighing, I decided that I might as well see what he wrote.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Mike Newton**_

_**Subject: Hey**_

_**Hey, Babe, just wondering when you're getting off of work? Do you want to go see a movie or something?**_

_**Mike**_

I sighed again as I rolled my eyes. I knew I shouldn't have read it. I should have just deleted it straight away. He was always asking me out by e-mail. I figured that he was too chicken to just ask me in person. Of course, even if he did that, my answer would still be the same as it has always been.

I deleted that message, and opened his other one, doing a quick scan to see if it was important, only to see that he had _thoughtfully_ – note the sarcasm – left me his phone number with the message _**Call me.**_ I rolled my eyes yet again as I deleted it.

Finally, all that was left was the 'Unknown' message. I paused, wondering if I should even bother reading it. I mean, I obviously didn't know the author – they would have no reason not to let me know who they were. The subject didn't really reveal anything – it just said _**Read me.**_ Hell, if I was smart, I would just trash it like a normal person would probably do.

Yet, I couldn't find it in myself to do so. I mean, this person obviously sent it to me on purpose if they were so desperate to hide their name from others who might see it. I would probably find their name inside of the message. They didn't leave the subject bar empty, though they also didn't give me any real reason to read this.

I sighed for a third time as I went back and forth on the message. Another quick glance at the clock told me that I only had four minutes left before I could leave. Biting my lip, I looked around me before turning back to the screen again. The message seemed to taunt me. Huffing, I decided to open it. I wouldn't be able to rest if I didn't find out who had sent it.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Unknown**_

_**Subject: Read Me**_

_**Hello, my dear Isabella. You don't know who I am but I know you. You see, I have been watching you for awhile, and I have become very interested in you. Why am I interested in you? Oh, there are a few reasons. You see, I am the most powerful man in the world, and I am in need of a wife. And you are the one that I have chosen for the role.**_

_**Now, you can think this over all you want, but there is one thing you should know about me: I DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! So, don't even bother thinking you have a choice in the matter; you don't.**_

_**Well, I'll be seeing you soon. By the way, once you have finished with this message, my sister will be at your office.**_

_**Bye, my dear wife-to-be. **_

I froze in disbelief, but, before I could do anything, a loud knock came from outside my door. I just sat there, to stunned and scared to answer it. I had way to many questions running through my mind. What did this man mean he's been watching me? What did he mean that he has decided that I was to be his wife?

All of these questions ran through my head as the person knocking stopped. I snapped my eyes to the door as I head the knob turn, and watched as it swung open. A short pixie-like girl walked through. She had short, black hair that was styled into spikes. She was wearing something entirely black with a little bit of white showing here and there. He skin was pale, but not extremely pale, and she had green eyes. The expression she wore was hard, as if she was on a mission, though I could detect a bit if softness to her as well.

"Isabella Swan," she said, her voice stern despite its slightly musical tone. The way she stated my name told me that she knew exactly who I was, letting me know that I had no hopes of lying about it. So, instead, I nodded my head, acting as if she had asked my name instead of stating it.

I slowly stood up as I waited for her to say what ever else she needed to say, though I was ended up being floored by her next words.

"You're coming with me."

* * *

**Chapter Two – Alice**

* * *

_Bella Swan's Point of View_

* * *

"Who are you?" I demanded once I was over the shock that had flooded my system. The other question that I wanted to ask bubbled in my throat, just waiting to be released, but I held back to allow her to speak.

"Alice Cullen. Now come on," she said, moving towards me. I backed up.

"Where are you going to take me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her when I saw her do the same to me.

"There isn't time to explain. We have to go, now hurry your ass up," she all but growled at me. She moved towards me again, but stopped when she saw me back away from her again until I hit the wall.

"I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me where we are going," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and setting a look of stubbornness onto my face. Alice sighed.

"You're coming with me because I am to take you to meet your new, soon-to-be husband," she smiled at me, showing all of her teeth, which – like the rest of her –were pearl white, and perfectly straight. It made me feel a little cautious, like she was a predator and I was her prey.

"Edward wants to see you as soon as possible, so lets get going."

She walked over to me and grabbed my arm. She began pulling me towards my office door, but I didn't move. I was too confused to move. What did this little pixie mean my 'new, soon-to-be husband'? I wasn't getting married, nor was I planning on it any time soon. In truth, I didn't even want to get married. I mean, it wasn't anywhere in the plans that I had made when I was younger.

Alice didn't seem to notice my inner struggle as she gave me another tug. I still didn't move, though I did start to focus a bit more on my surroundings and not the thoughts in my head when I heard her growl under her breath. She let go of my arm as she turned back towards the door.

"Pug?" she said in a clear voice towards the door. My eyes snapped from her figure to the big, tall man that walked into the room. I felt my mouth drip at the rather cold expression on his face.

"Bella here won't move. Can you pick her up, please?" Alice asked, tilting her head in a way that I would have considered sweet if she hadn't been asking Mr. Cold-Giant to help kidnap me. I bit my lip as I realized that I wasn't really being given a choice in the matter at hand. Alice was determined to get me to her brother, this Edward guy.

The man, Pug, moved towards me after nodding to Alice.

"Whoa there, Pug," I quickly said, backing up once more as I held my hands up. He stopped as Alice turned back towards me, a curious expression on her face. I knew that I wouldn't be getting away from them, but I refused to make it seem as if I had no dignity by being carried by one of them to what ever they used for transportation.

"Fine, I'll go without him carrying me," I said, forcing the words from my suddenly dry throat. For some odd reason, my words made Alice happy enough to squeal.

"Yeah! We're going to have so much fun together! We'll go shopping, to clubs, have sleepovers! Of course, that's only if Edward lets up, but I'm sure that…" she kept on going, bouncing in place. My eyes were wide as I looked at her, surprised by her sudden mood change.

We walked out of my office as she continued talking, Pug following behind us as if to make sure that I wouldn't run off. One more guy joined us as we hit near the elevator, another guy that looked like he could be pugs twin, only with darker colored skin rather than pale skin.

Once we were on the ground floor of the building, the new guy, who Alice had called Joe, led the way to a black, non-descript Caravan. Pushing me to the very back, Alice sat down in the seat in front of me while Pug and Joe got into the front seat.

Handing me a pillow and blanket, Alice said, "You might want to take a nap or something. It's going to be a long ride." She turned to face forward, pulling an I-pod out from a pocket, and plugging in a pair of ear phones. I sighed, and laid down in the seat, not even bothering with a seat belt.

Putting the pillow under my head, and the blanket on me, I laid there as the car started moving. Sighing as I felt us starting to pick up speed, I resisted the urge to look out the window as I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I decided that I wouldn't really get any answers at that moment, seeing as Alice was rather tight-lipped about most things, and decided to take her advice. I closed my eyes, and was out within minutes.

* * *

I was awoken by Alice's high-pitched voice, which made me remember that everything that had happened was not a dream like I had wished It to be.

"Bella, where here! Come on, wake up! You can sleep with Edward! Wake up!"

She started shaking me, increasing in speed and roughness when I still didn't get up. I groaned in displeasure before slowly blinking my eyes. The little pixie was crouched over me, her face inches from my own.

"Okay, I'm up," I said to her. Alice – who was looking intently at my face as she shook me – smiled upon seeing my open eyes, and stopped shaking me.

"I know, now lets go," she said, getting out of the car. I grumbled a bit as I followed her.

"Here's your new home, Bella," Alice said. I looked up, blinking a few times to focus my eyes before I felt my mouth drop. 'My new home' was apparently not a house, but a mansion, a big white one. It was huge; I think it would be bigger than the white house if you compared them side by side. This was were I was expected to live. If I was actually planning on going through with this marriage, I could easily get used to it…in a few years.

"Come on, Bella! Edward is waiting!" Alice said. I snapped my mouth closed again at the sound of her voice. I suddenly felt very nervous. Of course, I figured that had a good reason to be. After all, I know that the man said he was 'the most powerful man in the world', but saying and seeing is something extremely different, and – just by his house alone – I could tell that he was indeed powerful…maybe not the most powerful man in the world, but powerful.

"Bella, come on," I heard Alice whine. I snapped out of my thought to discover that Alice was near the door, looking at me with an impatient look on her face. I blinked a few times before I began walking over to her, going up the marble steps that led to a huge dark wood door. It had silver handles in the middle, telling me that it was most likely a double door opening. Both of the doors had old-fashion knockers in the shape of lions that were at eye level. I was tempted to touch one of them, just to see if they were decoration, or if they really worked.

However, before I could, the door that Alice was standing in front of opened. A man appeared, standing next to the door. He was an older man, with a wrinkled face and white hair. He was about two inches shorter than me, but an inch taller than Alice. He had a kind smile on his face as he greeted the both of us.

"Ms. Cullen, welcome back. Ms. Swan, welcome to your new home. We've been expecting you," he said. I tensed lightly at that. I wondered just how many people knew about me, and how many of them had been watching me as well. It was a rather discerning thing to discover that you had been stalked, even more so when your told that your supposed to marry the person who had you stalked.

Alice grabbed my arm as she said, "Thank you, Henry."

She led me inside, and fought to keep my mouth from dropping again. The entrance hallway was huge, and beautifully decorated. There was also a grand staircase in front of me that led who knows where. I could see doorways behind the staircase, and along both walls.

Alice led us into what I believed was the parlor. I knew that I was unsuccessful in keeping my mouth shut as I felt it drop open yet again. I could also feel my eyes widening as I took the room in. It was one of the biggest rooms that I had ever seen. I was positive that my whole house could fit in it, twice if I was truthful.

I looked around, admiring the art on the wall. Soon, however, my eyes came to realize that another person was in the room with us. It was another man. I focused on him and took in his features.

_Fucking hell, there's a god living on Earth_ were my first thoughts as my eyes took in his bronze hair, pale skin. And vivid green eyes. He was tall, about 6'5, and muscular, though not overly so. He had a confident aura around him, and – when he caught sight of me – his full, sensual-looking mouth curved up into a lopsided smile, making my heart skip a few beats.

I stood there, wondering who this god was when he spoke, his voice musical yet sounding like velvet.

"Hello, Isabella. I'm Edward Cullen, your soon-to-be husband."

It took several seconds for those words to compute through my brain, as he had turned it into mush when he had smiled, but it immediately returned to normal as I felt like I had been doused in ice water.

* * *

**Chapter Three – Edward**

* * *

_Isabella Swan Point of View_

* * *

Many emotions were running through me as my mind repeated the words that he had spoken. My mind was at war within itself. My rational side versus my irrational side; also know as my head against my body or reason against lust. The argument going on inside my head was very simple.

Irrational/body/lust side was thinking _He's a god, he's hot, he's my soon to be husband, we'll do the naked tango soon._

However, rational/brain/reason were thinking along completely different lines – _Snap out of it, Bella! He kidnapped you! He's forcing you to marry him! You should me mad! Angry in fact _– and Bella was in more agreement with them than the other side.

_I should definitely be- _ she started, only to be interrupted.

"Isabella?" The god – _man, he's only a man _– spoke again, bringing me from my thoughts. I bit my lip before I decided that I should respond.

"Hmm…Nice to meet you, but please call me Bella," I said. I silently groaned as I realized that it wasn't what I really wanted to say. It was just the first thing that came to my mind, especially since I was always telling others that as well. I resisted the urge to hit myself upside the head.

"Okay, Bella, let me show you to _our_ room," he said, unaware of my mental groaning. He took my hand to lead me. When his hand touched my, I jumped a bit as I felt an electrical shock go through me. _That was weird_ I thought before turning back to the hand holding my. Despite being a guy, his hand was very soft, as if he moisturized them daily. It was also huge compared to mine, engulfing my small hand completely in his grip.

He led me to the stairs, going up until he was at the top of it. Leading me down a long, decorated hallway, I found myself paying attention to the pictures that were on the walls. Trees, flowers, rivers, birds, and baby deer playing in a stream were just some of the many pictures that I saw. There were all so beautiful, but I wondered why they were all pictures of something that was apart of nature.

I didn't realized that I had been caught looking at them until I heard Edward say, "Do you like them? Esme loves nature."

I wondered who this 'Esme' person was. I figured that I would ask him later, if I had the chance. I went back to looking at the pictures until I saw one that was kind of different compared to the others, and felt myself stop in front of it. Edward noticed me stop and came to stand next to me as I admired a painting that had a single flower on it.

It was just like all the other paintings along the hallway – something of nature – but there was something different about it. It looked like it had been painted by someone younger, around the age of six or seven. Yet, it was still beautiful to look at, and it did fit well with the other pictures on the wall.

"This is my little sister's painting," Edward said next to my ear. I turned to look at him, furrowing my brow as I asked, "Alice?"

I was unsure if he had any other sisters, so I went with the one that I knew he had. Edward shook his head.

"No, it wasn't Alice. This was painted my little sister Dianna," he answered. I nodded and asked, "When will I meet her?"

A sad smile covered his face at my question.

"As much as I would love for you to meet her, you can't. She died when she was six. It happened a few months after she had painted this, in fact," he said. His voice held no emotion to it as he told me, but I saw a deep sadness in his eyes that caused my heart to break.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I was trying hard not to cry, but I could feel a few of them make there way down my face. I felt his hands come up to wipe them away.

"No, don't cry. It's okay, I mean…" he started. He paused, as if trying to find the right words to say. It seemed he could figure out what to say as he sighed.

"Never mind. We'll talk later."

He started walking again, showing me that he wanted the subject to be dropped. I obliged his silent request, and followed him once more.

Finally, we came to a double door situated at the end of the hall. It had writing spanned across it, two words, one on each door. I read them, my eyes widening in surprise as I did.

_Welcome Isabella_. I furrowed my brow yet again as I wondered how he had known my name – something, which I now realized, I should have questioned the minute I had gotten the e-mail. I think shock might have been the reason why I hadn't.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to ask how as Edward opened the doors, and gestured me inside Biting my lip, I walked inside, only to stop short and stare. The room was…big. This room itself was bigger than my apartment. The walls were dark blue, the floor was wood, and I could see that there were four other doors in the room.

One of them was a pair of French doors that were right across from the doors that we had entered from, two were to the right of us, and the fourth was opposite of that one.

There was a Californian King-size bed in the middle of the room. It had a canopy on it with black curtains surrounding it. The curtains were open. To the wall to the left were dressers, two of them, that sat on either side of the door, framing it. On the wall to the right, there was a full body mirror, and pictures decorating it. The mirror was situated between the two doors, as were several pictures on either side of it.

I bit my lip as I gazed at the bed before I giving into the urge that I had. I ran towards it and jumped on it, squealing at how soft and comfortable the bed felt as I laid on it. I buried my face in one of the pillows, rubbing my cheek against the satin with my eyes closed before I stopped and looked up.

My eyes found the French doors, and, without hesitation, I ran to them and opened them up to discover a balcony that had an incredible view. My eyes took in the large garden and forest that I could see, along with a huge pool that was situated in the middle of the yard. There was a spiral staircase that led straight down to the ground. I figured that this was his backyard.

I walked back into the room and over to the doors on the right. Opening the first one that I came to, I felt my eyes widen as I took in the huge walk in closet. It was like a small room, with clothes hanging everywhere, as well as built-in shelves full of shoes along the walls. There was an island in the middle of the room, one with small drawers built in as well as a computer on it. I couldn't help but walk around, taking it in as I noticed that there was quite a selection of women clothes and shoes. I wondered if they were supposed to be mine.

I walked out of the room, feeling surprised, and went straight to the other door, opening it to discover a master bathroom. It had a long counter against the wall that held the closet as well as a separate room for the toilet. There was a huge Jacuzzi tub with jets that looked big enough to hold to people comfortable, and a separate shower next to it. I walked over to the shower, which was like a mini room itself. It had a built in seat and shelves, and several shower heads – one that was in the ceiling, and two that were on the sides – and was big enough to hold at least three people.

After my inspection of that room – I had a feeling that I was going to love that tub – I walked over to the final door that I had yet to go through. Opening it, I found that the room was pitch black, so I reached out my hand and found a light switch. Turning it on, I felt my eyes go wide before a smile crossed my face. It was a library, a miniature one, but a library still. There was a desk next to the door, a window with a window seat that had the curtains drawn, and a cozy little area that held a chaise lounge with a side table that was next to a fireplace. The walls were dark blue, just like the bedroom, and the floor was wood but covering in a huge rug.

However, what held my attention the most was the bookshelf that covered an entire wall. It was filled with what seemed like thousands of books. I felt my eyes pop out as I walked over to them, entranced.

"Having fun?" Edward called from the door. I turned to discover that he had a big smile on his face. Blushing, I turned back to the bookcase, and continued to walk over to study the books.

"This is just a private library. There is another one on the first and second floor," he said, but his voice faded as I began to read the titles of the books there. My eyes widened as I saw that most of the books were my favorites. If it wasn't a favorite by book, then it was a book by an author that I had favored but hadn't read, and new ones that I had been dying to read.

"These are all my favorites. How did you know?" I asked, turning around to face him. He stepped closer to me.

"I know all about you, Bella," he said. Smiling a crooked grin at me – one that made me feel like melting – he continued.

"You're going to be my wife, after all."

That single sentence caused everything to come crashing down on me as I remembered that he had technically kidnapped me and told me that he was now my fiancé. I mean, he was hot. Any girl would be glad to be in my position, but I didn't want to marry someone who was basically forcing me. If I had a plan to get married, I would rather like to have known the guy for several years, and – no matter how hot Edward was – I didn't know him, at all, and what I did know of him was not only enough, but wasn't good at all.

"Edward, look. I'm sorry, but I don't want to marry you. I want to go back home. Sorry, but I want to marry someone I love, and I don't love you. Hell, I don't even know you," I said. Biting my lip as I looked down, and took a deep breath, not wanting to start yelling at him.

"Can I please go home? You can find someone better than me, someone who wants to be with you," I said, hoping that he would let me go. I looked back up to him, and wished that I hadn't, for the gorgeous smile that had been on his face was no longer there. Instead, there was a dark look on his face, one that seemed like it could end the world. His green eyes got darker, almost a black color. A shiver went down my spine. The look on his face scared me.

He stepped forward, grabbing me by my arms as he yanked me towards his face. A small cry of shock left me as I was forced into him, his body touching mine. He glared at me as I stared in his eyes, my own showing fear.

"Listen to me, and listen well, Isabella. You WILL marry me, and you WILL love me. This is your home now, and you are going to be my wife, whether you like it or not!" He said, his voice firm. His grip on my arms tightened to a painful point.

"You are going to listen to me. You're going to do what I ask and be respectful. If you wish to do otherwise, you will be punished. Do I make myself clear?" he asked. My head swirled around the word 'punished', and I felt my eyes water up involuntarily. Several tears fell down my face as I nodded my head, unable to do more than that.

_What happened to the angel I saw a few minutes ago_ I thought. Edward plain out scared me now. I had never been yelled at like that before, having always been the good kid that everyone ended up liking. Not even my parents had ever yelled at me like that. Yet, here he was, doing just that. I felt like I was a child again.

"Good," was all I heard from Edward as he let me go, and left the room. I heard the bedroom doors slam shut from where I was at, unable to move as tears streamed down my face faster than they were going before.

_Why me_ I thought as my legs gave out, and I began sobbing.

* * *

**Chapter Four – Exploring**

* * *

How long I laid there on the floor was unknown to me, but I felt extremely tired by the time I stopped crying. Thinking to take a nap, I made my way to the bed, shutting off the light in the library as I left that room. I crawled into the bed, sighing as I felt immediate relief on my body from the softness of the mattress.

However, even though I had laid down and closed my eyes, I couldn't seem to shut off my thoughts long enough to get to sleep. They swirled around and around in my head, reminding of everything that had happened since I had opened that unknown e-mail.

I frowned as I thought about the e-mail, wishing that I had deleted it when I had the chance. Maybe then none of the things that led me to be trapped here would have happened. However, small part of me told me that it just might of, but I squashed that part down.

Instead, I thought about how I might get away from this place. So far, I knew that the only way that I might be able to get out unnoticed was using the balcony, But I didn't know if it would be as easy as it looked. For all I knew, there were cameras around the pool area and windows that anyone could see through. I would have to get to know the house before I could get away from it.

That was when I decided to do just that. Hopping out of the bed, I walked over to the doors, slowly opening one of them and peeking my head out. There was no one there, so I walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind me. I didn't want anyone to realized that I was leaving the room, though I briefly wondered if someone could already tell that I had; there could easily be cameras in this hallway.

I walked around, know noticing that there were other doors on the floor that I hadn't before. Curiosity got me as I opened them to discover a study, bathroom, and guest room. The other two rooms were empty of everything, unused.

I made my way to the stairs. Looking down, I slowly made my way to the next floor, the third one. Like the previous floor, painting decorated the walls, only these paintings were in black and white, and of people and automobiles. I noticed that all of the people in the pictures were wearing clothes that were mostly popular in the early nineteen hundreds. It was the same with the automobiles.

Walking down this hallway, I once again peeked my head into each of the rooms, eyes widening as I realized that this was the guest floor; it had to be due to the amount of guest rooms and bathrooms that I saw. Every room was decorated the same, nothing special to them. I counted each of them, coming up with at least eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

All where unlived in, though they did have the necessities to be lived in. All the bedrooms had a dresser, desk, and bed, while the bathrooms came stocked with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and toilet paper.

Walking back to the stairs, I quickly hid behind a pillar when I saw someone coming up them. I waited until I heard the footsteps disappear before I walked over to the stairs, and moved downward to the next floor. Like the floor above, this one also had several guest rooms, though not as many, and, in the same place that the room that I was placed in before, was a library.

It was a huge library, bigger than the one connected to the bedroom, taking up two floors. I could see that the second floor had a stairway that allowed a person to go between them without having to leave the room. I bit my lip, looking around to see if there was anyone else in the room. A silent sigh escaped me before I began looking around, seeing what books were on these shelves.

I found a lot of non-fiction ones on just about everything, from medical and gardening to serial killers and unsolved mysteries. I felt my eyes furrow over those ones, wondering why he had them. My mind flashed over several different scenarios, each one more horrid then the last until I finally stopped thing about it as I moved away from that section.

I used the stairs that were in this room to go down to the first floor instead of leaving and using the main staircase. As I went down, I looked at the books that lined the staircase, finding quite a few fiction ones that looked as if they would be good. Upon getting to the bottom, I continued to look at all the books, a small smile crossing my face as I realized that there was no specific audience for the books. It looked as if whoever had created this library didn't have a specific audience in mind.

I looked around the rest of the room, my eyes widening as I saw the sitting area in the middle of the room. There was a long couch, three comfortable looking chairs, and a chaise lounge all surrounding two tables. One was a dark wood coffee table, set right in front of the couch. The other was a circular frosted glass table that was set on white painted iron legs. It almost looked like a table that could be found at a café. It was set in front of the chaise lounge. A rug covered the floor as well, a circular one with Celtic symbols on it.

Walking over to the doors, I opened one of them, peeking my head out to find the hallway empty; at least, on this side of the stairs, which I could see in front of me. There was a door to my right and two to my left, as well as hallways on both sides. I could hear people talking from somewhere on this floor, though I didn't know where they were coming from.

Taking a deep breath as I prayed that I didn't run into anyone, I went to the first door on my left. Opening it up as carefully as possible, I found myself in the kitchen, the smell of food in the air. My stomach grumbled a bit, telling me that I needed to feed it, but I ignored it in favor of continuing my exploring.

The kitchen was one of the biggest and most equipped kitchen that I had ever seen, though it wasn't anything really special. It had counters along all of the walls, and two islands. There were two other doorways, one that led to the next room, and one with a sign saying 'Servant Quarters' above it. I figured that it was were the servants slept.

I quickly closed the door when I saw the food that was in there, and felt my stomach growl again. While I was tempted to steal something – there had been quite a few cookies on the counter in easy reach – there had been people in there, and I didn't want anyone to notice me. I don't thing anyone did.

I went to the door next to it, though I already had an idea on which room this one was. I was right as I saw the long table surrounded with chairs. There was a china cabinet on one wall, and high windows on the other, as well as a counter where you would set food so you didn't crowd the table. At least, that's what I figured it was for. To me, it was a way of reaching the windows to climb out. Another doorway – besides the one that led to the kitchen – was on the wall leading into the next room.

Yes, I will admit that, while I was slightly curious about the house, I was looking around mostly to place where I could escape from. I figured that it would be better for me to know where I could leave without notice; at least, that's what I hoped for.

Like with the kitchen – and most of the rooms – I didn't enter. Instead, I left, and went to go to the next room on this side of the house when I saw that the guy who had opened the door when I first got here – Henry, if I remember correctly – was still standing there talking to someone.

I slinked back into the shadows, heading backwards towards the library doors before I remembered that there was a door to the right. I headed towards it, and briefly saw the doorway that I remembered passing when I first arrived here; the room that I was now entering was next to the parlor. Biting my lip, I slowly opened the door, peeking in the room though I had heard nothing to give any indication that there was anyone in here.

I blinked when I realized that I saw that it was a music room. There was a piano, cello, acoustic guitar, and several other instruments in there, including a violin. I couldn't help entering it fully, softly closing the door behind myself. I walked over to each instrument, softly touching them before I was standing in front of the violin.

Back in high school, I had played the violin, having enjoyed the beautiful sound that it could make, especially when it was paired with a piano. It helped me out that I could play it rather well, and one of the few people that I had gotten along with during high school, Angela Webber, was rather helpful when it came to having a piano accompany me.

I wondered if I could still play. It had been a while, as I had to quit playing when I had entered college, too busy trying to earn my bachelors – and then my masters – in journalism. It had just gotten so hectic that I didn't have any time for a band class.

Picking it and the bow up, I began to playing it, stopping every few seconds to tune it so that the sound was perfect. Soon, I was playing a score that I had memorized back when I was in high school, the notes coming into my head as I played them on the violin as if I had never stopped playing it. So into the music I didn't notice that someone had come into the room until I heard a piano begin to play.

Stopping myself abruptly, I turned, my heart pounding against my chest as I saw who it was that had suddenly began accompanying me. I found Edward sitting at the piano bench, his hands still playing the score that I had been playing. Biting my lips as I saw that he wasn't stopping, and looking at me, I picked up the score.

Together, we played until the song came to an end, and the trance that I had seemed to have fallen into seemed to break. I set the bow and violin down before turning to leave the room. I honestly didn't want to be anywhere near him at the moment. My mind kept flashing back to what had happened back in the mini library, and the fact that he was holding me hostage.

I just wasn't ready for another confrontation, as I knew I wouldn't be able to hold in my temper, for anger was what was beginning to take over. Despite the fact that he frightened me, I just couldn't act like a weak woman, despite the fact that he seemed to be able to bring such a reaction out of me.

However, I knew that if I yelled at him, he wouldn't hesitate to strike back, which struck fear into me. The combination of fear and anger was interesting, but totally unwelcome, as it left me with an unpleasant feeling. Just like before, it felt two sides of myself was at war with no end.

I didn't like how he could cause such a reaction from me, for the fact that, despite my anger, he made me feel weak and sent my reactions and feelings haywire. I didn't want to act or be a weak woman, as I had been taught better than that.

Heading back up to the third floor, I wondered what was going on with my job. I knew that people had seen me leave, but I wondered exactly what they were thinking. I knew that I couldn't exactly say that I was kidnapped; I had walked out of my own free will. I realized that it might have been in my best interest if I had, but – at the time – I couldn't help but think more about my pride of how I was exiting rather than the fact that I was being told to.

I barely realized that I was in the bedroom, suddenly tired for some odd reason. Closing the doors behind me, I shimmied out of my skirt. Pulling off my jacket and blouse, I neatly placed them on a small table next to the foot of the bed. I was glad that I had decided to wear a camisole, even more so that it was extra long. While a bit loose on me, it went down to cover my boy short panties.

Now clad in something that I could easily substitute for sleep wear, I turned off the light and went to bed. My last thought before I gave into the world of dreams was the fact that I had to get out of here, and I decided that I would try to escape tomorrow night.

* * *

**Chapter Five – Escape Attempt # 1**

* * *

I awoke the next day to the sound of a storm. Groggy, I slowly sat up, my body not wanting to work as it was still demanding rest. However, my mind was another thing, trying to figure everything out. I was having a hard time getting up, my bed too soft to inspire me to want to leave.

Loosing the battle, I slumped back into the bed, allowing the silky sheets to caccon around me.

Once again, my mind sent out an alarm. Since when were my sheets silky? They were usually coarse, the years having been unkind to them. I felt the sheets with my fingers again, thinking that they would have changed. They still felt as smooth and silky as before.

Forcing myself to wake up this time, I opened my eyes, looking around me as I tried to figure out where I was at. I could tell now that the bed was definitely not mine, as well as the room that I was in. Confused as to how I got here – and a little bit scared – I racked my brain trying to think as to how I had gotten into this room and comfy bed.

Luckily for me, it only took a few seconds before I remembered everything that had happened yesterday. Wide awake now, I sat back up, rubbing my eyes as I did so. Looking around me, I discovered the original source of my waking up was the fact that I had left the balcony doors open. The storm that raged outside was pouring into the room slightly, the sound unmuffled.

I got out of the bed, shivering in the cold air as I hurried towards the French doors, shutting them before I walked over to the bathroom, feeling nature's call. While in the bathroom, I took a look at my reflection, groaning at how horrible I looked. My hair was a wild mess and I had bags under my eyes, despite how well I had slept.

Turning on the cold water, I splashed my face, using the coldness to deswell the bags under my eyes. Once I had splashed my face a few times, I grabbed the towel that I spied to my right, and dried my face. Looking into the mirror once more, I was glad to find that I looked much better than I had.

Happier now that my face looked better, I then tried to detangle my hair using the brush that I had found sitting on the counter. It took me awhile before the rat's next that was my hair was finally tamed. Sighing, I walked out of the room, looking longingly at the shower that I wished to use. However, I didn't because I was just going to have to put on my dirtly clothes again, so there was no point in trying to get cleaned.

I walked out of the room, only to pause as I saw Edward was now in the bedroom. Eyes widening slightly, I pursed my lips as I was what he was doing. It was very easy for me to recognized the garments that he in his hands as he brought them over to me. He held them out to me, causing me to look at him as if he was crazy. _He isn't seriously picking out undergarments for me, is he_ I thought, immediately dismissing it. He wasn't that insane as to think I couldn't choose my own things.

"Here, these are for you."

Then again, he was crazy enough to think that I would marry him just by demanding it, so he obviously had a few screws loose in his head.

"Your joking, right?" I said. "What makes you think you can tell me what I am to wear, in any regards? Also, even if I were to accept these from you, they wouldn't fit. You do not know my size in anything."

A flash of anger crossed his face as his hand shot out. A stinging pain erupted from my cheek as I felt my eyes opening wide. Slowly bringing my hand up to my cheek, I winced as I felt the now tender skin before looking back at him, a glare on my face that covered my fear. The bastard had slapped me.

"You do not talk to me like that, understand? And yes, I do expect you to wear them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen them. Also, they will fit you. There exactly your size," he said. Thrusting them back out at me, I grabbed them from him, about to say that they were not my size as I looked at the tags, but I shut my mouth as I realized that he was right.

Looking back up at him with blank eyes that did not show my inner turmoil, I thanked him before turning, planning on freaking out in the bathroom, when he stopped me once again. I stood where I was at as he moved away from me for a moment, shuffling through something before coming back towards me, his arm reaching around me as he handed something else to me as well.

I grabbed whatever it was and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Once there, I freaked out, repeatedly say "Oh my God" as I paced the floor. I couldn't believe that he had known my bra and panty size. I looked back at them, still seeing the sizes that they had said before. I continued pacing, wondering what this meant exactly.

Calming down slightly, I looked at the other thing that he had given me. It was a dress, a white one that looked like it would go all the way down to my knees with a flaired skirt and corset-like top. The sleeves had an inch wide strip of satin before becoming lace that went down to my wrist, where another inch of satin would encircle a wrist. I imagined that it would look nice on me, and set it down next to the undergarments.

Sighing once again as I realized that I ought to change into it rather than stare, I went ot take off my camisole only to stop when there was a knock on the door. Turning back around, I opened it, finding that Edward was standing there once again. He handed me one more thing, a towel.

"You can take a shower. I've already stocked it with your favorite things," he said, leaving me alone before I could question what he exactly meant. I stood still, wondering what he meant before shugging as I put the towel within easy reach of the shower door. Undressing, I walking into the shower, pausing as I saw the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash containers that were already there.

I groaned out loud as I read what scent they were. Strawberry, my favorite scent. Biting my lip, I once again wondered how he knew this as I turned on the water, jumping slightly from the coldness of it. Quickly changing the temperature until it was warmer, I began to wash myself.

* * *

Once I was all washed and dressed, I went to the miniature library the was connected to the room, unsure of where to go otherwise. It wasn't like he told me that I could go anywhere, though he didn't quite say that I couldn't, but – at the moment – I didn't feel like tempting fate.

Besides, I needed to convince him that I was staying in the room until I was positive that he didn't think otherwise. I wanted him to believe that I wasn't going to leave these rooms until I was ready, so that when I finally did, he would be none the wiser. It was crucial in my escape plan.

I already knew that he didn't mind if I left the French doors open, otherwise he would hav probably closed them when he came into the room – and I had no doubt that he hadn't come into the room while I was sleeping. I remembered that he hadn't really introduce the room as mine, and, as far as I knew, it was the biggest room in the house. There was no way he didn't mean to not share the room with me. Plus, none of the other rooms had really looked lived in.

Of course, once that thought went through my mind, I panicked a bit, wondering where he had slept last night and if he had come in here while I was sleeping. I didn't like the fact that there could have been a chance that he had slept next to me, since one, it was a creepy thought, and two, I knew that I talked in my sleep, and I was afraid of what I may have talked about.

Part of me remembered that I had been thinking about escape plans, and didn't want him to know so he wouldn't be able to stop me if I did do so. After all, if he discovered how I might be planning on leaving, it would be hard to get out.

However, that didn't stop me from thinking about going ahead with my plans. I looked outside again, and decided that I would need to be wearing something other than white. Not only that, but the I would also need something that I could move in better, and would keep me warmer than this dress would.

With that thought in mind, I walked over to the closet. I looked through what they had gotten me, frowning as I saw that almost everything was made up of skirts, dresses, and revealing tops. Biting my lip, I decided to grab a couple of the others shirts, unsure of what I would need, as well as several of the skirts. I was lucky when I saw a couple of sweaters, even luckier when they were thick and baggy.

I grabbed the three long sleeved tops that I had grabbed, both of the baggy sweaters, and two of the skirts – both of them just a little longer than the skirt of the dress I was wearing – and walked out of the closet, setting them on the bed. Walking over to the dresser, so began going through it, hoping to find something for me that would be better to wear. I had no luck, as the only thing that I could come up with were a pair of shorts that were too short to beconsidered shorts.

However, I was lucky enough to find some leg warmers as well as some arm warmers, and some socks. I took three pairs of each – the socks were super thin – and placed them next to the other stuff that I had grabbed. Then, finally, I went to grab my suit – it was a females pantsuit as I didn't care much for skirts at work – only to discover that it wasn't there, nor were my shoes. _Shit_ I thought as I realized that he must have grabbed it. I had little doubt that I would see it again, if the way he had chosen what I was to wear as any clue.

Realizing that the shoes that I would have to wear – though I hadn't seen any – would most likely be the heels that I dispised, I went back to the dresser, grabbing a few more pairs of socks before thinking about something, and moving over to the the other dresser, where I hit a jackpot. I grabbed two pairs of his socks, as well as a pair of pants that he had folded in there.

Then, I folded all the clothes together, making one big bundle, before moving it all to the mini library, where I hid it all underneath one of the desks; the one where I was planning on sitting at, and grabbed a book, prepared to read until I was able to leave; I figured that it would have to be late tonight.

* * *

It was about two – I had found a clock in this room that I had previously overlooked – in the afternoon when the door was opened. I was on the fifteenth book that I had wanted to read – a book called Tongue in Chic by Christina Dodd – and I was just about to get to the main female's reaction at meeting her grandfather, who doesn't know she exists at this time, for the first time when I heard a throat clearing.

Looking up from the novel with a frown, I glared at the intruder, though the glare immediately left my face as I saw the face of Edward. I grabbed a bookmark, stuck it were I was at, and set the book down before turning to him, though I was sorely tempted to just ignore him as I continued to read.

"Yes?" I asked, not even bothering to make my voice sound pleasant. "What do you want?"

Edward frowned at me, a dark look passing over his features for a minute before disappearing.

"I came to escort you down for food," he said, walking over ot me until he was right behind me. I felt nervous, wondering if he could see all the clothes at my feet while hoping that he couldn't. Too draw his attention away from them, I stood up and moved away from the desk, leaving the mini library as I went to the bed.

I turned back to him and glared once again.

"I am sorry, but I have to decline your invitation. If you desire me to eat, I will do it in here, alone," I said, a small smile crossing my lips in an innocent gesture. His eyes narrowed, and he moved forward, grabbing my arm in a tight grip. I couldn't help the yelp that left my mouth as he pulled me towards him. My eyes widened in pain as I felt my arm bruise under his grip.

"I said that I would escort you down to food, and that is what I shall do," he said, pulling me out of the room. I felt several tears go down my cheeks from the pain, and thought I saw something in his eyes before he turned to face forward. He pulled me all the way to a room that I had yet to see on the first floor, as it was nearer to the door where I hadn't explored.

It was right next to the dining room, and looked to be an unofficial minature dining room, for all it contained was a small table for more intimate senarios. The table had two plates on it, an – in the middle – several plates of fresh fruit, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and some other breakfast foods that had my mouth watering.

I heard my stomach growl as it pleaded me to feed it. He walked me over to the table, his grip loosening on my arm once he had deposited me into one of the two chairs. He held me for a second more, making sure that I wasn't planning on moving, but I was too focused on the food to care. My mouth was watering as I found myself hoping that he would tell me to dig in.

However, it seemed as if he once again had different plans as he took my plate and filled it himself. I found myself frowning over this action. Did he think so little of me that he felt like I couldn't choose my own food? I knew that my nose was wrinkling as he piled some sunny-side-up eggs onto the plate as well as some ketchup.

Placing the plate in front of me, I felt my appetite fall. I hated ketchup, always have been. I didn't like the taste of it. It was the same with mustard. I also didn't care much for eggs unless they were scrambled with cheese, ham, sausage, and/or bacon; I also didn't mind omelets.

However, the only things that he gave me were the two things I hated more than anything. I looked at him, wondering how he expected me to act. He was looking back at me, a look of wonder on his face as he waited for me to eat.

"I'm not eating that," I said, my voice firm. He frowned.

"Ands why is that?" he asked. I gestured towards the plate.

"One, I can choose my own food. Two, you do not seem to really know me because, if you did, you would know that I absolutely despise ketchup and most eggs," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, glaring at him. I mentally braced myself for his anger. However, it seemed as if what I had said had the opposite effect that I was expecting.

He laughed, a musical laugh that had me staring at him in shock. I couldn't believe that he found my anger funny. Frowning, I went to stand and leave, no longer feeling hungry, when my arm was once again in his grip. I was pulled back into my seat as I realized that he was no longer laughing.

"There is no reason to leave," he said, pulling the plate that he had originally handed her in front of him while he handed the empty plate that had been in front of him to her. Taking it from him, I began to make my own plate, placing some pancakes, bacon, sausage, a buttered biscuit, and fresh fruit onto it.

Throwing some butter and surup onto the pancakes, and I was ready to eat.

* * *

Eating with Edward was…interesting, to say the least. I think the fact that he hadn't known about some of the things I liked made him unhappy, because he spent the entire breakfast asking questions about some things that I usually didn't divert to others.

Knowing that there were some things he didn't know about me made me extremely happy, for that meant that he hadn't had me watched as much as I had originally thought. I knew that he had been watching me; the fact that he had a clue as to what kind of books I liked to read showed that. However, the fact that he didn't know what I preferred to eat was a small comfort, as was the fact that he didn't know the true me as well as he might have liked.

Once breakfast was finished, he allowed me to leave, thinking – or hoping – that I would take him up on his offer to do whatever I wanted outside of the room, but I just ignored that and went straight to my room. That was were I stayed as the day passed, only being bothered two times, once by Alice, who wanted to talk about wedding stuff – something that wasn't going to happen if I had a choice about it – and Edward, who escorted me to dinner.

Finally, it was night, and I walked out of the room, checking to make sure that no one could see me before I brought the clothes out and put them on; all of them. It wasn't an easy think, and – by the time I had them all on me – I wanted to take them off, but I ignored my wants, and walked over to the balcony doors, opening them up just enough so I would be able to leave without triggering an alarm. I had no idea if the house had one, but I didn't want to trigger it before I could even leave. The only thing that I wish had changed was the fact that it was still storming.

Then, I crawled into the bed, and waited until I was positive that everyone was asleep. I situated myself so I was completely covered by the covers, despite the fact that I was so hot I could feel sweat building up. I was lucky that a cool breeze from the opened door was cooling me off enough so that there was no seat showing on my face.

I laid down when I heard the door open, and I had to fight myself to not shoot out of the bed. Looking towards the door as best as I could, I saw that Edward had walked in. He ignored me, going straight towards the dresser that had held his clothes, and pulling out a pair of sleeping pants from within. He turned towards me, seeing me awake.

"I've got work to do tonight, so I won't be sleeping in here tonight," he said. "I'll see you in the morning."

He hurried away as I thought _No you won't_. Walked out the doors again, he said goodnight to me, and turned off the light, closing the door all the way behind him. The minute I was positive that he wouldn't turn around and come back, I threw off the blankets, standing up, and carefully making my way to the balcony, careful not to make any noise.

While I wasn't planning on running at that moment, I was hot, and it was cooler out here. It was also still storming, making me happy that I had pulled on as much clothes on as I could. I looked over at the clock. 9:30 pm. I sighed. I didn't know when it would be safe for me to leave, but I figured that it was still to early to do so.

Sighing, I went ot the library where I grabbed the book that I was reading. Going over to the chair that was right by the balcony, I began to read. Luckily for me, I had chosen a long book – It by Stephen King – So, by the time I was three-fourths of the way through it, it was 11:30. Bookmarking my place, I tempted with the thought of bringing it with me to read once I got home, but dismissed it immediately. It had been bought by Edward, and it technically belonged to him. I didn't want any reminders of him once I was free.

Walking over to where I had seen shoes at, I slipped on a pair of his because, with as many pairs of socks I had put on, there was no way my shoes would fit my feet. His shoes barely did at this point. Sighing , I carefully wade my way outside, carefully closing the doors behind me as I walked down the stairs.

Being careful not to make a sound, I walked straight through the garden up reaching the bottom floor. Making my way through the little paths in the ground, making sure not to disturb the any of the flowers around. The rain was cold as it started to soak my clothes. Luckily, it was only the first layer and my hair.

I was just reaching the treeline when I heard something that I wasn't expecting.

* * *

**Chapter Six – Caught**

* * *

A loud siren sound had pierced the air, and I turned back for a moment to discover exactly why the sound had started. I vaguely noted that I was right to leave the balcony doors open before as I saw Edward looking down at me where I had just come from. Even as far away as I was, I could still see the look of surprise on his face, though the rain had blured it a bit.

Then, anger twisted in, unfreezing me enough that I felt like I was able to move once again, and I ran straight into the woods. I found that I should have waited for a bit before I left, for I had no idea where I was going. I tripped several times, getting the legs of the pants that I had put on, as well as the volumous skirts dirty. I could also feel the water from the rain seeping into my clothes.

I stopped for a second to take a breather, my lungs feeling as if they were about to burst, when I heard a sound that I had been hoping that I wouldn't; the shouts of several men, as well as Edward's voice. I could tell that they were looking for me; the screams of my name were a big clue.

I forced myself to continue, trying to put distance between me and whoever it was that was following. However, despite my earlier strength, it seemed to have deserted me, for I could hear the people who were following getting closer to me as I lost speed. Finally, I found a tree with big enough roots to hide, and I huddled down as quietly as I could.

I did my best to control my breathing and shivering, for I was beginning to feel cold; the clothes were not only soaking up the water that had fell from the sky, but also the sweat that had began to form along my body. I was positive that I would end up sick later.

I heard them get closer, and waited for them to pass, though I was disappointed when they stopped as well. I could hear everything they were saying now, they were pretty close to me without being _close_.

"Where do you think she went?" I heard one voice say.

"I don't know, let look around here," another said. I bit my lip, knowing that I had to get them to believe I was further away. Carefully groping around with my hand, I skimmed the ground around me until I found a nice sized rock. Lifting it, I carefully looked behind me to see how far off they were before I threw it will all my strength. When I threw it, it was towards the right of me, but slightly in front of me as well; I could see it as it flew before it disappeared out of my sight. I heard it thunk in the distance.

I listened as the others ran off before I carefully stood up. Having caught my breath, I figured that it would be best it I went towards my left. Stepping silently in that direction, I put my eyes towards the ground to keep from making more noise than I needed to as I walked.

I had just made it past where I could hear any of the men when I turned to look behind me…and promptly ran into someone. I gasped as I tried to back away, only to be held in place by hands that were like steel manacles on my arms. I looked upwards, dreading who I would see, but somehow knowing who it was.

My eyes came to clash with those of darken green. I swallowed hard as I took in the twisted, angered face of Edward right before he pulled me forward where he could clasp his hands around me as he held me tightly to his chest, my own arms trapped to my sides.

One would have thought he was just hugging me from the way it probably looked, though I knew that he wasn't, for the move had restrained me quite a bit. I was breathing hard, though I wasn't winded; instead, I was slightly scared, for I hadn't figured that I would be caught during my escape attempted, and something told me that I wouldn't be liking what was going to come next.

I felt his chest rumble as he said something, though the roaring of my blood blocked my ears from hearing what he said. Everything seemed blocked at the moment; it took all my effort to get air to my lungs as I struggled to understand how he had known that I was still were I was at.

Had he seen me lift my arm? Had he just guessed? Those questions and more went through my mind until I was pulled in the direction where I had just come from. I didn't bother trying to fight; I already knew that I didn't really have a chance to escape from his firm hold, and, even if I did, the others sounded as if they were still nearby, and would no doubt grab me if I tried to run off again.

The walk back to the mansion seemed to take no time at all, and I wondered exactly how far I had really gotten; I could have sworned that I had gotten farther than it seemed. However, it seemed that I was wrong, for I was being shown back into the house faster than I thought possible.

I was finally let go enough that I was no longer pressed into his chest and able to see all who were around us. I only recognized to out of the five men; Pug and Joe were there. The other three were unrecognizable to me. Two of them were blonde while the third had dark brown hair. One of the blondes had long hair, which was in a ponytail, while the other blond had shorter hair, which was kind of shaggy looking. The dark haired guy looked the strongest out of all of them,even stronger than Pug.

I turned back to Edward, wondering what I was going to see on his face. Would I see rage, or anger? Would I see fear, or something else entirely? I think, out of everything I imagined, I would have preferred it to what I really saw on his face, which was nothing. His face was an impenetrable mask.

I didn't realize that they were talking until I had seen Edwards lips move before he was once again moving me towards the stairs. At first, I thought he was going to go passed them, heading into the kitchen or library, but – to my surprise – he continued to walk up them, heading straight for the room where I was supposed to be sleeping.

I swallowed, hard, as he finally let me go, closing the doors behind us. I quickly ran for the balcony doors, hoping that I could really get away this time only to realize that they were locked. I looked at the key hole, realizing that it wasn't a normal kind of lock, and turned around.

He was still by the entrance doors, only this time, he was looking at me, arms crossed over his chest. I could see something glittering in his right hand, and figured that it was the key that was needed. I looked up at him, wondering what he was waiting for. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like whatever it was that he had done; but, then again, I didn't like anything that was going on at the moment, so the feeling wasn't new.

I stood there, still wearing everything, dripping water onto the ground by those doors as I waited for him to say something. It took a few minutes before he did.

"Did you really think I would forget to lock them this time?" he asked, walking over to me. "I knew that you would do something like this, but I foolishly thought that I would be able to trust you some, at least enough for you not to take advantage of my kindness."

He stood in front of me, bringing his hand to my cheek.

"But, I can see that I was mistaken in giving you so much freedom," he continued. I looked at him confused. Exactly what was he talking about? What freedom? I doubted he would have let me go, and that was the only kind of freedom that I wanted. However, a more practical part of me told me that this supposed 'freedom' he had apparently given me had todo with the fact that I had been able to explore and actually have the balcony doors openable when he wasn't there. I ignored that side of me.

He walked away from me, walking over to the dresser that held nightgowns that I would never wear in a million years. I watched as he pulled out one of them, walking over to me. Holding out to me, I found myself shaking my head in denial at him. He just sighed, placing it over a chair before walking back to me.

Reaching for the bottom of the sweater I wore, he started to pull it off of me until I stopped him.

"What do you think you are doing?" I asked, surprised at his action. I didn't think of him as the type to start to do something like that, but then, I didn't know him at all.

"Taking off those wet clothes," he said, reaching for the bottom of the sweater again only for me to stop him.

"I'm not going to wear that _thing_ you pulled out," I said, glaring at him. However, unlike before – at breakfast, when I told him that I wasn't going to eat what he had put onto the plate for me – he wasn't amused by my words. My head snapped to the side, my cheek throbbing, and it took me a second to realize that he had just _slapped_ me. Again.

While in my daze, he took advantage, stripping me of the several sweaters and shirts that I had thrown on. I was down to the actual shirt part of the dress when I realized what he was doing. I stepped back from him; well, tried to anyways. My progress was stopped by the balcony doors, the glass cold against my skin.

"I'm not going to allow you to even come close to seeing my body," I hissed, covering my upper body with my arms. His eyes narrowed once again, and he stepped forward, closing the distance between us. I thought he was goin to slap me again, but he didn't. Instead, he opened his mouth, about to say something when he seemed to notice something.

I was unaware that I was shivering until he sighed, grabbing my arm and picking me up bridal style. He walked over to the bathroom door, opening it and turning on he light before grabbing one of the folded towels next to the shower. Unfolding it, he quickly came towards me.

However, I honestly didn't know what his intent was, and backed up until he said, "You need to dry off, Isabella. I won't have you getting sick on me."

I couldn't help but stare at him. I also wasn't expecting him to seemingly care about whether or not I got sick. I was very…confused. One would think that he wouldn't care if I did, as it would save him the trouble of keeping me from trying to escape again, yet he seemed as if it would be a horrible thing if I did get sick.

Unable to stand his confusing action, I grabbed the towel from him, turning until my back was to him as I wrapped it around my shoulders, and held it with one hand while the other undid the hooks of the corset. I bit my lip. I knew that I should be using both hands to do this, but there was no way he was going to get a free show; the mirror was in front of me, and I could see the interested look on his face, as if he was waiting for me to get rid of my stubbornness.

It seemed as if, though, that he wasn't going to wait, for I heard him huff for a moment before I felt the towel around my shoulders being grabbed. I let out a shriek, surprised by the action, as I turned around, ready to deliver a slap of my own. However, I wasn't able to as he grabbed my and, and forced it down before undoing the clasps of the corset in a very efficient manner.

In an effort to keep him from seeing me wearing my bra – the only way I would be able to protect my modesty, something that I felt like I desperately needed to do – I quickly brought the towel that was still in my one hand up, blocking the view of my chest. I almost expected him to say something, but he turned me around, yanking the dress down my arms. It was rather hard work, and – though I would never think about telling him this – I was glad that I had help.

The rain, which had soaked me within minutes of leaving, had managed to get all the way down to the dress as well, and the material was practically sticking to my skin, almost refusing to let me go. Something told me that the dress was ruined, which saddened me a bit. I had liked the dress.

Once we had gotten the top part off, the rest was rather easy, and I was quick in wrapping the towel around me to protect my body from him seeing it, though I didn't know how much good it did, as he seemed to have run his hands on me as if memorizing everything he could.

I didn't bother fighting him. Looking in the mirror, I had discovered several hand-shaped bruises littering my arms, and my cheek that had been slapped was a dark red. That was enough to convince me not to fight at this moment – while the hit on my cheek had hurt, I hadn't noticed that my arms were hurt until I saw them, and, if his facial expression was anything to go by, he hadn't realized it either.

It seemed that his anger was a dangerous thing – and I meant his full anger, which was what I had seen when he had caught me, when he first made the bruises – and I wasn't will to push at the moment, for I felt drained. It seemed as if seeing the bruises brought every pain in my body to my mind, as well a tidal wave of fatigue.

I was still holding the towel when he left the room, returning with a different nightgown, one that I hadn't seen in my original search, as well as some panties. Placing them on the sink, he leaned forward, and whispered for me to dress quickly before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Letting the towel fall to the ground, I was quick in pulling off the wet underclothes before grabbing a new towel, and finish dryng myself off. I was kind of surprised at the fact that the rain had been able to soak me all the way down to my undergarments, especially through all the clothes that I had on.

Once I was sure I was dry, I wrapped my hair up in the towel before pulling on the panties, as well as the nightgown. I was pleasantly surprised when the nightgown wasn't as bad as I originally thought it would be. It was actually more like an oversized, long sleeved shirt, going straight down to my knees.

I left the towel wrapped around my hair for a minute while I looked for something to use to either dry it quicker or throw it up into a bun, but didn't find either of the things that I would need. Frowning, I pulled the towel down, and towel-dried my hair to the best of my abilities.

Once I was sure that I had done just that, I dropped the towel on top of the other, unsure of where else to put it, and left the room. It seemed as if I had done that just in time, for Edward looked as if he was about to open the door himself if I had taken any longer.

I walked into the room, and towards the bed. The covers looked so inviting, but I was a bit weary. So far, with the exception of being smacked and practically undressed by him, he hadn't really done anything in a punishing sense. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was going to let me go unpunished, but I didn't believe that I would be that lucky.

Edward, who was watching my face, sighed.

"You can go to bed," he said, and I looked from the bed to him. I was surprised that he seemed to be able to guess what I wished, just as I was surprised when he said, "While I may sometimes hit you, I prefer punishments of a different kind, one that will go with what your being punished for. Plus, you are not the only one tired."

I felt my expression change, for it sounded as if he wasn't going to punish me, despite what he had just said. I mean, what other kind of punishment is there?

"Don't think you aren't going to be punished," he suddenly said, and I jumped from the dark tone of his voice. Though it was low, it seemed to seeth, settling deep within me, causing a shiver of fright to run up my spine. I looked down, biting my lip, feeling extremely small, like I was a child being chided by a parent.

I heard Edward sigh again before I felt his arms wrap around me from behind. I didn't move until I felt him push me towards the bed, and allowed him to guide me. When he let me go, I was nearer to the bed, and I automatically climbed in, moving over to the side that I had claimed as my own.

Every muscle in my body was glad that I was no laying down, and my eyes immediately grew heavy. I was borderlining on awareness and sleeping when I felt the bed move, and someone settle next to me. I immediately sat up, looking over to my right, where I saw Edward settling in.

I didn't get to say anything, when he grabbed and pulled me back down, wrapping his arms around me as he burrowed his face into my hair. My body was tense as I felt his chest against my back, and I no longer femt sleepy. Instead, I felt terrified. I knew, without a single doubt, that he was stronger than me, way stronger, and that I wouldn't be able to fight him if he did decide to do anything to me, no matter what I believed.

_This is my punishment_ I thought. While it didn't seem to be a horrible punishment, I honestly didn't want to snuggle with him, so it felt like one. Plus, it kept me awake for longer until my body finally had to shut my mind down forcefully.

It was only later that I realized that I wouldn't mind snuggling with him as a punishment when the real one came.

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Isolation**

* * *

Waking up the next day, I found myself in the bed, alone. There was a pile of clothes on the chair where I had put mine the first night I was here. A note sat right on top.

I knew that I should read what it said, but found myself unable to get out of the bed for awhile, my head feeling heavy, and I figured that I was still fatigued. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to sleep for a while longer.

Then, about half-an-hour to an hour later, I got up, instantly shivering at the cold air I hadn't realized how thin the nightgown was earlier, and rubbed my arms as I walked over to the clothes and note. I picked up the note and read it.

_Bella,_

_Sorry to leave you before you woke up, but, as much as I wished to stay, I had other things to do. The clothes underneath this note are what you are to wear today._

_I will be by later to bring you something to eat. Also, just so you know, your punishment will start today, and end when I decide to end it._

_Your Husband-to-be,_

_Edward_

The note was short and to the point, and I couldn't help but shiver at the ominous tone it seemed to carry. My eyes were drawn back to the word 'punishment', and I wondered once again what he planned on doing. From the sounds of it, he planned on making it something that would last for a while, which worried me as I remember the words he said last night.

I wondered what it was, since he said he didn't plan anything physical, but I couldn't come up with anything good enough that only required something mental. Unless…

I shook my head, knowing that he probably wouldn't do that, for there was no way he would even know about that little fact about me. Said fact being that, though I may not act like it, I hated to be left alone for long periods of time – though I would never say anything like this, I was actually happy to have been in someone's company yesterday, even if it was his.

It was the only reason why I chose to work in the office, or why I would even leave my house at least once everyday. Having grown up in a rather social setting until I moved in with my father, I was used to being surrounded by people. Plus, there was the fact that I had school everyday as well, and I made friends rather quickly, friends who practically refused to let me be alone; not that I wanted to be.

However, what this all boils down to is something that happened when I was younger, still a child in fact. It was something that I absolutely hated to think about, though, so I did my best not to.

Placing the note down, I grabbed the clothes, heading towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. I tried not to think about what he had planned for me as I washed my hair and body, relaxing underneath the spray. I quickly got dressed – a dark blue three-tier knee-length skirt and light blue short-sleeved blouse – before towel drying my hair as best as I could.

Then, I walked back into the room, discovering that the food he promised to be delivered had been delivered indeed. I looked around the room, wondering if he was there, but didn't see anyone. Shrugging to myself, I walked over ot the plate, glad to find that it was something that I would eat, and ate.

Once I was done, I waited for two hours, wondering when he was going to come get me for my punishment, before I grew bored. I walked over to the mini library, prepared to grab a book to read, only to discover that it was locked. My eyes widened of there own accord as I struggled with the knob.

Part of couldn't believe that he had locked it, and I wondered if that was what he meant when he said punishment. I could see how it could easily be that, as I loved to read, and cutting me off from them would be a cruel thing to do, but I had no way of actually knowing if it was or wasn't.

Huffing as I realized that the door wasn't going to open, I went over to the main doors, wanting to give him a piece of my mind only to discover that they were locked themselves. Anger coursed through my viens, but, unable to really do anything, I headed back to the bed, sitting down as I began to play with my hair. It only took me five seconds before I was back on my feet, and by the balcony doors. I didn't bother with the doors; I had no doubt that they were still locked.

Sighing as I saw that it was no longer raining, I looked around, seeing that, even without the rain, there was no one there. I don't know why, but not seeing anyone made it feel as if I was the only one around, though I knew that it wasn't true. While I didn't know how many people were actually here, I knew that there was really no way I was the only one.

Sighing as I was denied seeing that I wasn't alone – even if they were outside while I was inside – I walked back over to the bed, laying down once more. There really wasn't anything else I could do. The personal library he had basically installed for me was locked from me, and both doors leading out of the room were locked as well.

I was completely, and utterly trapped in this room, with no one to around to even see, much less talk to. Something told me that Edward was going to make good on his promise of how he would punish me, and I wished that I had either waited a few weeks before attempting to escape…or that I hadn't been caught in said attempt.

* * *

It has been eight days, and I have been going absolutely insane. During that entire time, it seemed as if he had somehow placed a way of knowing when I was going to be in the bathroom when it came to eating, and coming in when I was asleep to get something for him; well, I actually only suspected that last part. He probably had clothes somewhere else as well.

I knew that he wasn't sleeping in here; the bed only had the shape of my body having been in it when I woke up. Just like the first day he had locked me in the room, whenever I looked out the window, I didn't see anyone, giving the true illusion of being alone, of being isolated.

If it wasn't for the fact that a tray of food and water was delivered twice a day, I would have truly thought I was alone.

I guess, when I thought back on it, that he was right about how his punishments were more mental than physical; this was worse than anything he could have done physically to me. This reminded me too much of something that had happened so many years ago; I was slightly ashamed at the fact that I was letting it get to me so much.

I desperately pushed it out of my mind, standing up once again to walk around – something that I had been doing an awful lot lately, right up there with sleeping a lot, taking several long baths several times a day, and playing dress up with the clothes that he had gotten me; I was extremely bored.

I got out of bed, walking towards the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth before getting dressed – with how many showers and baths I have had the last few days, taking one now wasn't needed; I figured I would take one sometime today anyways. As I was dressing, I heard the door open.

I didn't bother trying to see who it was delivering my breakfast, nor did I bother trying to escape; I never made it out of the bathroom in time, or I was doing something in there that made it hard to hear when the door opened.

I waited to hear the door click close and lock, as I finished getting dressed. While I was itching to run out the bathroom just to see a glimpse of who it was, just for the sake of getting rid of the idea that I was totally alone and not surrounded by ghost – it was starting to seem like that – I had always been disappointed in the end, for whoever it was would always stay near the door and leave before I could see them.

However, after awhile, I noticed that I wasn't hearing the door closed. I walked over to the doorway of the bathroom, almost afraid to get my hopes up of seeing someone else today. I felt as if they were just waiting to see if I was taking the bait before shutting the doors without me seeing them, something that I didn't think I could handle at the moment.

My mind seemed to be fragile, like a single trick being played would cause everything that I was trying to keep out from overcoming me.

However, I didn't hear the door close like I expected, and I couldn't help the flare of hope that lit itself in my chest. Walking out of the room, I found myself looking at Edward for the first time in a week.

* * *

**Chapter Eight – Questions**

* * *

"Is it over?" I immediately asked, desperately hoping that it was. I needed out of this room. He didn't say anything, just held out a hand, letting me know that it could be, if I took it. At least, that's what it seemed to me. I didn't bother to find out if it was true; I just walked over, grabbing it with my own.

He led me out of the room, and I found myself breathing easier than I had been for the last few days, no longer locked up. I kept my hand in his as he led me down the hall and stairs, all the way to the dining room where he had led me the last time. I couldn't keep the relief at being let out off my face.

I allowed myself to bask in my freedom for several minutes before anger took it's place. While most of the anger was directed at him, some of it was directed at myself. The little bit that was directed at myself was anger at the fact that I had allowed the isolation to affect me so badly. I wish I could say that I had gotten over it, but the truth was that I had just pushed it to the back of my mind, positive that I would never have to worry about it.

Obviously, that had been the wrong assumption, as it had just been used against me; my anger stemmed from the fact that I had been so stupid to believe that I could just forget what had happened instead of dealing with it like I should have.

Which was were my anger at him came from. Due to the fact that he knew this about me and yet still used it, despite the fact that there could have been very bad consequences; the fact that I had been a bit submissive since leaving the room was a huge show of that. If he had gone all the way in making it exactly the same as before, I can tell you right now, I would have been broken and unrepairable.

He allowed me to serve myself, not even bothering to attempt to do so again. I kept it light, not grabbing to much; I wasn't extremely hungry. In fact, it felt like I had an abundant amount of energy. That was probably due to the fact that I hadn't been doing much more than pacing around a confining room.

Once done, I stood up, prepared to wonder around, looking for something to do, when my wrist was grabbed. I looked down, following that had to Edward, my eyes locking with his.

"Where do you think your going?" he asked. I shrugged, unsure, though I thought about hanging out in the kitchen, almost positive that people would be in there all day.

However, from the look in his eyes, I could tell that he already had a plan for me.

"Well, I am sorry to day, but, after what happened a week ago, I am afraid that you are not to be left alone to do whatever you want. Until I figure out who to keep you with, your going to stay with me. Understand?" he said, and I nodded, despite the fact that I didn't want to stay with him. I was just a bit afraid that he would put me back in the room, and lock me there until I agreed to his request/demand.

Sighing, I sat back down, waiting for him to finish, something that I hoped would be soon. Luckily for me, it was only a few minutes before he stood himself, pulling me up along with him. We walked up the stairs to the second floor, going to one of the rooms that I hadn't bothered exploring, figuring that it was another guest room or bathroom.

I was slightly surprised to see another study, almost like the one on the fourth floor, but a bit bigger and obviously used more, if the papers on the desk were of any consulation. A large glass window stood behind the desk, a comfy looking chair between them. Another window stood adjacent to the other, slightly framing the desk on two sides. There was also a fireplace in the room, a chaise lounge and several chairs arranged around it.

A single bookcase leaned against the wall the separated this room from the other. I noticed that the books on this one were well used, several creases in the spine and the rather decrepit look to them saying so. It was obvious that they had been read more than once, and I wondered what they were about, as I couldn't make out the titles from where I stood.

He led me over to the chaise lounge, motioning for me to sit before heading over to the desk. I wondered what he had planned when I saw him pick up a pen, and grab one of the files on his desk, ready to start working on something. I instantly knew that I was going to go bored with what he had planned, and I immediately thought of something to talk about.

"How long have you know about me?" I blurted out without thinking. I could tell that I surprised him, as he hadn't expected me to ask that, despite the fact that it was a question that I should have asked earlier. But, now that it was out, hovering in the air, I realized just how much I wanted the answer. How long has he known about me, for it was obvious that he didn't really know me as well as he seemed to act.

Ending my musings on that subject, I fixed my gaze on him, waiting for the answer. For several seconds, he stayed silent, staring at me as if he expected me to back down. He sighed when he realized that it wasn't going to happen. Leaning his head down for a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose, he set the pen down before giving me his undivided attention.

"I take it you want answers to your questions," he said, completely ignoring the one that I already asked. I fought hard not to roll my eyes as I replied with a firm yes.

"What's your first question, then?" he asked. This time, I glared at him.

"I already asked it," I replied, allowing some anger to show through at the stupidity the he seemed to be expressing. He was acting as if I hadn't already asked a question, and that was rather irritating.

"I must not have heard it," he responded, and I gripped the arm of the chair I had sat down on.

"How. Long. Have. You. Know. About. Me," I repeated, making sure to enunciate each word properly, so that there could be no confusion to what I was asking. Of course, I also did it because of my irritation, though I would deny that if I was asked.

"Awhile," he said. I sighed in exasperation, wondering why he was being so cryptic. The fact that I was becoming even more annoyed with him was at the forefront of my mind, but I didn't really care at the moment. All that I cared about was getting answers.

I bit my lip, thinking how I could get those answers that I wanted before realizing that I needed to word my questions a bit better.

"How long is 'awhile'?" I asked, looking back at him, hoping that he would actually answer, and not dodge, the question with another vague answer. I think some of that hope showed on my face, for he finally said, "Five years, give or take a few months."

I had to smile at finally getting an exact answer, but I kept it off of my face, deciding to do the math in my head. I felt my face turn a bit ashen as I said, "You've known about me since I was seventeen, possibly eighteen?"

Since I had just turn twenty-one just a bit over a month ago, my estimation sounded right, though, as an after thought, I might have been sixteen turning seventeen as well; since he didn't have an exact number of how long, it could easily be true. Either way, it didn't really look good to me.

"So, what your saying is you somehow spotted me when I was seventeen –" that seemed to be the best age to go by – "and got it into your head that I would become your wife?"

It seemed that, upon putting it that way, I had a rather nice affect on him, for he immediately – without prompting from me, surprisenly – started talking.

"No. I wasn't that prompt, otherwise we would have already been married, and would not be having this conversation," he stated, the last part sounding as if he hadn't meant for me to hear it. I could tell that he didn't like the conversation that we were indeed having. However, I was more focused on the fact that he said that we would have already been married, and felt my eyes narrow in reproach.

"No, I had just become curious about you at that point. After all, how often do you find a beautiful girl who, not only seems to be unaware of her beauty, but prefers to read a book over shopping, and spending money on things that usually end up being essentially useless."

I felt my eye brows furrow at this, wondering exactly how he was able to know that at the time. If he had known me for about five years, he would have to have at least seen me while I was either reading a book somewhere public, or shopping, for either something useful – like another book or food – or being forced to shop by friends, in which I usually complained.

In fact, thinking about it, the only time, around five years ago, that I went shopping was about two weeks before my seventeenth birthday…

"What was I doing when you saw me the first time?" I asked suddenly, almost able to put a date to the first time he saw me. For some rather odd reason, that information didn't exactly excite me as I wished it did.

"Shopping with someone who kept trying to get you to spend money on clothes that could easily be gotten somewhere else for a hell of a lot cheaper than the store you were in at the time," he answered, though I honestly didn't need him to give me that much information.

"So, you think that, if you had decided I would automatically marry you, I would have at age sixteen?" I said, before wishing I hadn't. It was just the first response that I thought of. It was also the truth. As I had figured, the first time he had seen me was two weeks before my birthday.

"I think I we've made that point several times already," he said dryly, reminding me that repeating things several times wasn't really needed. So, instead, I decided to ask another question.

"What did you do when you decided that I…interested you?" I asked, pausing for a moment to decide which would be the best wording so I would get a good answer.

"Well, naturally, I investigated you," he said. "I found out everything I could about you."

I didn't need him to elaborate on that, as I already knew that he had most likely found all legal documents on me. And, if he hadn't, he obviously found the one document that I wish never existed.

Something on my face gave me away, for he then said, "Yes, it was all the legal documents I could get, including what your thinking about."

He moved from behind the desk, coming to a stop in front of me. Kneeling down, he grabbed both of my hands, keeping his eyes locked on my own.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry that it happened to you. You didn't deserve it," he said quietly. Anger flooded me at his words, and I could feel my eyes tear up as I said, "But it didn't stop you from using it against me."

My voice was cold when I said that, and I thought I saw him flinch slightly while a look of regret passed over his face, but I blinked, and his face was a blank slate.

"Your right," he said as he let go of my hands and stood. He walked back over to the desk, sitting back down as he looked over at me.

"Are there anymore questions that you would like to ask?" he asked me, his tone seemingly nutreul, but I thought I could sense his own anger underneath it, and shook my head. I realized that what I last said was something stupid to say, even if it was true, for he now seemed angry. So, I decided that I would finish my questions to him later.

Besides, I already had asked the main questions that I had wanted answered.

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Bet**

* * *

I was bored, so very bored. Four days had past since my impromptu questioning, and I started to become restless with being stuck with him in this office, having nothing to do. I had already finished the one book in his office that had looked like it would be interesting – it wasn't – and had, in truth, gotten a bit sick of reading, for it seemed to be all I did.

Plus, the rest of the books in his office were in a foreign language; at least, that's what it seemed like to me. They were books on business, something I had never really felt interested in. And, I kept forgetting to grab a book from the library connected to my room for when he brought me in here with him.

So, due to my forgetfulness and the lack of anything interesting, the only thing that I was able to do to amuse myself was annoying Edward, something that I couldn't help but take great pleasure in. It seemed that, in his attempt to keep me near him, he had forgotten that I didn't have anything else to do, and something told me that he was used to working while it was quiet.

I shifted in the chair, leaning against the arm of the chair with my legs thrown over the other side. I allowed my feet to tap in the air while my hand taps the edge. It creates little noise, but enough that it seems to still annoy him; how that is possible, I do not know, for the shuffling of papers seemed to premate in the room.

"That's it," he suddenly said, and I sit up quickly as he walked over to her, surprised, and, if I was honest, a little bit afraid. Would he hit me again? Do something worse? He had already used part of my worse fear against me, would he use all of it?

However, he didn't hit me, nor did he haul me up. Instead, he stood in front of me, leaning down until his face was practically parallel with mine.

"Would you stop that?" he gritted out, and I could tell that he had reach some unseeable breaking point from noise.

"I'm bored, so I'm going to do something eleviate it," I answered back. He frowned, contemplating something. However, before he could reach whatever it was that he was thinking about, the phone rang. Quickly straightening, he walked over to it.

"Yeah," he answered. Whoever it was on the other line caused a smile, a huge one to overtake his face.

"Of course you can come over," he said, and I wondered who he was talking to. Whoever it was, he was obviously happy to hear from them. I had to admit the the smile on his face made him look nicer; I knew that, had he not had me kidnapped and had smiled at me like that the first time we met, I wouldn't have been so opposed to being married to him.

As it was, that wasn't how it happened, and I knew that there was no point in thinking about things like that. I tuned back into one side of the conversation I could here, though I found it kind of boring, for all he seemed to say is 'yes', 'no', laugh, or some monosyllable. He seemed to mostly be intent on listening to whoever it was on the other line.

Then, he finally said something longer than one word, though I wished he hadn't, for I could tell that whatever it was, it dealt with me, for he said, "Yes, she's here."

Clearly, whoever it was that he was talking to knew about me; I wondered if they also knew that he was a stalker.

I waited patiently as silence premeaded the air as he listened to whoever it was that was talking. His smile never left his face. Then, he said, "Yes, you can come over," before saying bye and hanging up. He turned towards me.

"That was my mother, Elizabeth Masen. She's coming over today because she want to meet you, since you my wife to be" he explaned. I frowned.

"Does she know that your forcing me to marry you, and that I don't want to?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit like a perpetulent child's. He glared at me.

"No, but you are not going to say anything about that, to anyone," he answered. I scoffed.

"What's stopping me?" I challenged, standing up for my seat. He stepped forward, seemingly to be threatening, but then, he stopped, shaking his head, muttering upder his breath. He turned his head back towards me.

"You won't be able to," he said. My eyes widened at his audacity. How dare he assume that I wouldn't. He acts as if he knows me so well, only it's a bit obvious that he doesn't, especially when he throws around comments like that, I thought.

"Oh really? What makes you say that?" I asked, sarcastically. He shrugs lightly, not answering, yet not looking as if he's wrong either. It infuriated me, and I glared at him.

"What? Do you really think you can?" he asked, having the nerve to laugh. A smirk crossed his face. "Why don't we make a bet, then, shall we?"

"What would be our prizes?" I asked immediately, not even stopping to think about it. I was confident that I wouldn't loose, but I wanted to know what I would win beforehand, so I knew it would be something worthwhile. He thought for a moment.

"I'm not going to just let you go, you know that, right?" he said, making it clear to me that never seeing him again wasn't an option. Frowning lightly, I quickly said, "Then making me agree to marry you with no fight is out as well."

He pursed his lips, eyes flashing dangerously, before agreeing.

"Then how about this: if I win, you have to kiss me, a real one, not just some small peck; and, if you win, I'll…" he trailed off, unsure of what to give me exactly. I thought for a moment, then remembered how he had been keeping me close to him since letting me out several days ago.

"If I win, then you stop making me follow you around, and allow me to go else where," I stated. He looked ready to say something, and I immediately knew that he still didn't trust me not to run off in he allowed such a thing, so, as loathed as I was to do so, I added, "With an escort of your choosing."

That stopped him. He looked at me, suspicion clearly written on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, I'm kind of sick of not being able to do anything, since you seem so keen on keeping me in the same room as you, and, since this is the room you frequent the most – hell, I've yet to see you anywhere but here, the dining room, and the bedroom since you've decided to keep me on a leash – and, quite frankly, this room is getting on my nerves."

He let out a chuckle at this, as if he found my words to be amusing. I glared at him.

"So, do we have a deal?" I asked, trying to get back on point. Even though he had been the one to propose the bet, it seemed that, in the last few seconds, the tables had turn, and I was the one eager for a bet. After all, I was the one asking for a deal.

"Yes, we have a deal," he answered, after a few more seconds of thinking about the terms. I nodded.

"When does she get here?"

* * *

Almost half an hour later, I was starting to feel nervous. Not because I believed that I wouldn't win the bet, but because I didn't know what to think of his mother. I was torn, not knowing what she would be like, and he offered no answer to my questions about her. Due to that, I was left to wonder about her, which made me even more nervous.

I stood stiffly next to him in the parlor room, still trying to figure out what she would be like, when I heard a car pull up outside, and the sound of two doors opening and shutting, with about a minute between them. Shaking lightly, I waited. Without thinking about it, my hand had grabbed onto Edward's arm, nor did I realize that my nails were digging into his skin until his other hand came up and pried mine away.

"Sorry," I muttered, not sure if I meant it or not. I wanted to allow my hand to fall away, slightly surprised to discover that he wouldn't allow it. His other hand, the one on the arm I had been sinking my nails into, wrapped around my hand, holding it tightly, making sure I knew that I wouldn't be escaping easily.

I softly sighed, but didn't fight. If I was honest, despite how much I do not like him, holding his hand was better than twiddling my finger around, showing my nervousness. A butler, one who I hadn't seen yet, stepped into view. I tightened my grip on his hand, my nervousness becoming even more obvious than before.

"Calm down," he whispered to me, trying to get me to loosen my grip. I squeezed harder in response, showing my displeasure over his words. He winced. I stifled a chuckle, finding myself happy at the fact that I caused some pain to him, then looked up at him.

"Don't tell me what to do," I whispered back, glaring at him.

"Your going to be my wife, so I do believe I am allowed to tell you some things to do," he whispered back.

"You seriously need a reality check. I have not agreed to marry you," I said.

"We are getting married," he insisted, rather stubbornly.

"No, we are not," I said, putting my free hand on my waist. We were facing each other, my one hand still held in his, the other on my hip. Our bodies were almost touching, and we were glaring at each other. He opened his mouth to say something, but a small, polite cough sounded. We both turned back towards the doorway, remembering that we were about to have company.

While I didn't know about him, I knew that I had almost forgotten about that little fact; the rememberance sent my nerves haywire once more. I was almost sorry that we were no longer fighting, as it seemed to have made me forget about my surroundings, even though it had only been for a little while.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, preparing myself for the encounter as a loud knocking sound echoed through the hall. The butler – at least, that who I thought he was – walked out of the room. I heard the front door open, the low murmuring of voices in the hallway before the butler came back in the room.

"Mrs. Masen," he said, stepping to the side. He remeinded me of the butlers I would see in movies set in an older era. Then, I turned my eyes away from him, almost hesitantly, having no real desire, yet having a huge curiosity, to meet her.

When my eyes found her, I felt my eyes and mouth go wide.

* * *

**Chapter Ten – Meeting His Mother**

* * *

_No way that is his mother_ was my first thought. I was pretty sure that, anyone who saw her, would think the exact same thing. So looked so _young_, and, while she did share some of the same traits that Edward had, I would have pegged her for a sister over a mother.

She had darker hair, not quite the bronze that Edward had, for it was more of a reddish brown color. Her eyes were grayish green. They shared some of the same features, but she also looked softer than he did. And, as I had immediately notice, neither her face nor anything about her showed any sign of whatever her age was.

"You must be Bella," she said, and I was shocked to discover that she had somehow maneuvered herself to stand in front of me without my notice. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."

She held out her hand, and I, as if I was on autopilot, reached out my own, firmly shaking hers. I was still speechless, and her cheerfulness caught me off-guard. Luckily for me, she seemed not to notice how out of it I was as she turned towards Edward.

"Hello again, dear," she said, reaching up and giving him a great big hug. That smile that had crossed his face in the office when she called appeared again. It was obvious that he loved her.

"You were right, she is beautiful," Mrs. Masen told him as they parted. I couldn't help the blush that spread across my face. I wasn't used to people calling me beautiful, especially when they were obviously much more attractive than I was. I saw her smile once more before walking over to one of the couches in the room.

Edward, my hand still held in his, walked over to the other couch, pulling me out of my shocked phase, and making me stumble along with him. He sat us on the opposite couch, so we were facing her.

Small talk was made, the simple type that everyone always asks a person when they first see each other. It was after those pleasantries were exchanged and we were grasping for something else to say when Edward's cell rang. My head turned towards him, wondering who was calling.

He looked at the number for a moment, then turned to his mother.

"I'm afraid that I have to take this. Will you two be alright with each other?" as he said this, his gaze moved from his mother to me. I nodded, slightly eager to have him leave. I could tell his mother the truth easier without him in the room, for something seemed to tell me that he would most likely try to stop me every time I did so.

"Don't worry, dear, I sure that Bella and I will be able to entertain ourselves while your gone," Elizabeth said, giving him a warm smile.

"Yes, I am sure that we can," I said while giving my own to him, though mine wasn't as sincere as hers. I knew he saw through it, but I didn't care. If I was to tell his mother what happened, then he would have to be out of the room; I had a feeling that he would keep interrupting me if I even tried to say anything with him there. It would be easier to tell her if he wasn't there.

I thought, for a minute, that he would call me out on my plan and insist that I go with him, or something to keep me away from her, but he only nodded his head and turned back towards her as he let go of my hand and stood. I wasn't sure if I was insulted or relieved, because both had a place in me at the moment. I was relieved because I would be able to tell her, but I was insulted as well because his leaving seemed to say that he truly believed that I wouldn't tell her. Well, I would definitely show him.

"Be right back," he told her, leaning down and giving her a kiss to her cheek. We watched him leave the room, and she turned towards me. I took a deep breath, preparing to start speaking, only to have her say something first.

"I'm so glad to see him happy again," she said. I froze, my words stuck in my throat from surprise. _Happy again_ I thought. I wasn't aware that he had been unhappy at all. I had seem him either happy, angry, or indifferenced, but unhappy? Nope.

"Again?" I asked, curiosity getting to me. "What do you mean?"

I must have said the wrong thing, for she looked at me, her own curiosity shining through her eyes. I backtracked, saying, "He…doesn't talk about his past too much."

She nodded her head, and her eyes showed that she understood what I meant. Part of me wondered why she had bought that lie; after all, I really hadn't given him a chance to say anything about his family or his past. It made me wonder what it was that she was thinking.

"Yes, I should have probably guessed," she said, confusing me even more. "He really doesn't like to talk about that part of his past, or anything related to it."

My eyes furrowed, and I tried to think about what it was that she was talking about. Then, it hit me, and I remembered the picture that was in the hallway leading up to my room, the one that he had mentioned being painted by his little sister. Without thinking, I said, "You mean Dianna."

Elizabeth gasped, and I immediately felt as if I had crossed some invisible line by saying her name so casually. It also appeared that I was right, in a way as well. Why else would the name spark a gasp from her if it didn't have anything to do with what we were talking about?

"How do you…I thought you said…" she sputtered, a bit surprised. It didn't take long for me to decipher her words, and realized that, while unintentional, I had said something personal that, by my own words, I shouldn't know. I was quick in realizing that I needed to remedy those words.

"He didn't really tell me anything about her. She was brought up when I was looking at a picture she had apparently drawn, and he mentioned that his sister had drawn it. When I asked if it was Alice, he mentioned that it was his other sister and said her name," I said. She nodded her head, though I could tell that she almost didn't believe what I was saying.

I bit my lip, turning my head away as the memory of the picture came to mind. I remembered how Edward had reacted towards it, almost causally when he answered my questions, but it had been the look in his eyes that had shown me the truth, that had almost caused me to cry I could still remember that sadness that had been there, though only for a second.

"Can you…" she started off hesitant before seeming to gather her nerves. "Can you show me where the picture is?"

I nodded my head, though I wondered how she didn't know where it was. I had a feeling that she came here often, yet, from the way she sounded, she had never seen that picture. Or, perhaps it was that she was…_curious_ as to which picture I was talking about.

Standing up, I walked over to the door with her following, and up the stairs towards my bedroom. I stopped in from of that picture, hearing her gasp behind me. I turned towards her, noticing that she was shaking, her hand coming up to cover her trembling lips as tears filled her eyes. Concern washed through me as she went pale, and seemed to sway where she was standing.

I reached a hand out towards her as Edward's voice seemed to reach out from the recess of my mind.

'_It happened a few months after she had painted this…'_

Shit, I thought as those words echoed through my mind. I had forgotten that little fact about this painting, and my carelessness was obviously bringing up some bad memories for her.

"Would you like to go sit down?" I asked, hoping that she would be able to compose herself away from the picture. At her nod, I led her to my room, allowing her to sit on the corner of the bed. Walking into the bathroom, I grabbed a glass cup, filled it with some water from the sink, and hurried back towards her.

Handing the cup to her, I noticed that she was shaking, and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked after awhile. I had noticed that, as she sipped the water is small gulps, her shaking had decreased, and she was starting to regain some color in her cheeks. Her eyes, which had been out of focus for a while, flashed towards me. It almost looked as if she was just remembering where she was, as well as the fact that she had company.

"I'm fine," she said shakily. I didn't really believe her, but let it go, not willing to make a bit deal of it. Moving away from her, I sat down at the edge of the bed, as it was the closest area to sit in the room. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, slightly anxious for what would be said next. I wanted to ask what had happened to Dianna, what it was that made her that way, but nothing seemed to come through my throat.

Plus, the fact that I felt it would be rude and an invasion of privacy stopped me as well. It wasn't something I, a stranger who wasn't planning on having anything to do with this family, needed to know.

The reminder of that thought made me remember about the bet, and what I had been ready to say earlier, before we had gotten to where we were at the moment; sitting in my bedroom while an awkward silence filled the air. I wondered if it would be a good idea to mention the fact that I was here against my will or not at the moment, as she still looked saddened by something.

I was stalling, regretting making that bet. Earlier, it had seemed a good idea, up until she had mentioned something about him being happy again. Now, with her in such a saddened state, I couldn't seem to say anything. I had a feeling that it would hurt her if I said something like that.

I was startled out of my thought by the sound of her placing the cup down on the little table next to her. She looked at me, her eyes on my own, and said the last thing I expected her to say.

"Now, I know my son is happy you're here, but I have to know. Are you happy with him?"

I just barely managed to keep my mouth shut at the blunt question. _Here's my chance_ I thought. She was practically telling me to tell her that he was forcing me. Yet, like the idiot I was, I didn't take the chance immediately. Instead, I hesitated, and looked at her closely.

While she didn't seem to be expecting me to say yes or no, the look in her eyes, as well as the way she twiddled her fingers together, told me that she was nervous about my answer. Her eyes showed that she was hopeful for a yes, that I was just as happy as he son; her hands showed that she was afraid of a no, which would end up making her son miserable by leaving him.

Having that knowledge made it harder to tell her the truth. I mean, I knew that I should tell her the truth, which I was being forced into this relationship, yet I was afraid of hurting her with the truth at the same time. I had a feeling that it had to do with the fact that she also seemed to be more fragile than she had earlier, as if the wrong word could break her.

I swallowed hard.

"I..I…I'm," I took a deep breath. "I'm very happy here with him."

I sighed inwardly, slightly ashamed of myself for lying to her. I wasn't happy here. I didn't want to be here. Yet, as I saw her face turn into a relived smile that seemed to light up her whole face, I couldn't find it in myself to be saddened over the fact that I hadn't said anything. And, upon thinking about it, the thought scared me.

"Shall we go back downstairs. He's probably finished with his call, and is wondering where we're at," she said, standing up. I followed her lead, and headed towards the door. As we walked down the hallway, she connected our arms together, and began talking about inconsequential things, pointedly keeping her gaze from her daughter's painting.

As we made it to the landing of the first floor, I noticed that she was right about Edward being done with his phone call. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall next to the doorway into the parlor, looking slightly worried. It melted away at the sight of us.

He looked at me, and something seemed to say that he was asking if I had told her, like I had said I would. Shaking my head slightly, I frowned as a smirk crossed his face, wondering what it was for. His mother, who didn't seem to notice our small exchange, let go of my arm and walked passed him.

He stayed where he was for a minute, just long enough to mouth 'I win' to me before walking into the parlor, leaving me standing where I was as realization dawned up me. I hadn't really been thinking about the bet earlier, when I had thrown away my chance to win it, and I had forgotten about what the prize the winner would get.

I didn't have any problems right now, and the thought of kissing him…well, in all honesty, it didn't seem to disgust me or anything like that. Instead, the mere thought of it sent my heart pounding, my blood racing, and butterflies seemed to multiply in my stomach. If I didn't know better, I would have said I was looking forward to it. Somehow, I didn't find it in myself to mind that thought, and, once again, I scared myself.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven – Family**

* * *

_I want to kiss him._

_No I don't._

_I want to kiss him._

_No I don't._

I had been repeating these thoughts in my head for a while, with my rational and irrational sides fighting together. Rational was trying to remind me of…everything that had happened within the last couple of weeks, while berating me at the same time for lying to his mother.

However, the irrational side, the side that had found him and was still finding him attractive, was excited about the fact that a kiss was on its way. In fact, it was wishing that something else would happen as well…

Okay, not going there.

I changed my line of thought, as the thought that was starting to form in my mind was not one that I wanted. Instead, I let my mind wonder back towards Dianna. I wondered what was happened to her. Also, I wondered about Edward's family. While he and Alice had some similiarities in their looks, I hadn't really seen anything similar between Elizabeth and Alice, at least not in looks.

Plus, I was wondering who Esme was, as she was the one who had somewhat of a hand in the decorations of the hallway. With the way he had spoken of her, it was slightly obvious that she was someone important in his life; I had, at first, thought she was him mother, and that his relationship with her was the same as my own: getting along with her, but in a more friendship like relationship. But now, with finding out that his mother was Elizabeth, it left me wondering who she was.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go."

Elizabeth's voice seemed to cut through my thoughts, and I automatically stood up from where I was sitting. Walking with her and Edward to the door, I said good-bye, only half of my mind on that task. I was actually thinking about how best to ask him about his family. I felt like I had be a bit unsensitive when asking about Dianna, and something told me that asking abut her straight to Edward wouldn't work.

Plus, I wanted to avoid the kiss I would have to give him. I knew that I would end up doing so, simply because I had already said that I woud when the bet was made; I was not going to go back on my word, and be called a liar. However, that did not mean wouldn't put it off as long as possible, and I figured his family was as good of a subject to do that as any.

After saying good-bye to Elizabeth, I walked back into the parlor, waiting for Edward to appear, who had decided to walk his mother out to her car. Sitting back down on the couch, I began to think about how I could go about asking about the rest of his family, as well as Esme.

I bit my lip, glancing a bit nervously towards the doorway. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Edward, now that he had most definitely won the bet – I could have easily asked Elizabeth if I could talk to her alone while she was here, and tell her the truth. At least, I was trying to make myself believe that. However, having been lost in my thoughts since we had come downstairs, telling Elizabeth the truth had been the last thing in my mind.

If I was completely honest, the kiss that I would have to give was also in the back of my mind. Instead, the main part of my mind was mostly focused on trying to figure out his family. I mean, I knew his mother, had briefly met one sister, and talked about the other, but, other than that, I knew nothing else.

Sighing lightly, I realized that this sudden want to know his family meant trouble. I really shouldn't care about his family. I shouldn't want to know anything about him, unless it pertained to me never seeing him again. And, in truth, I didn't think knowing his family pertained to such a cause.

If anything, knowing about his family would just bring me closer to him, something I really didn't want. Becoming close to him would make it hard for me to forget him; not that I really would be able to anyways. He had already made an impression on me, though, after meeting his mother, I wasn't sure if it was a good one or a bad one.

However, family was really the only thing I could think of to talk to him too. I had already question him about how he knew me before I knew him, and I really didn't want to know the details of him fallowing me anymore than what I was already given. And, right now, I was slightly scared to discover what it was that he did for a living. So, family was the only real option left that wouldn't be meaningless and, hopefully, keep his attention long enough for me to go to bed…without kissing him.

My rational side was happy with this plan. My irrational side, not so much. It would be quite happy to kiss him…which was probably why I had been stupid enough to agree to that stupid bet. Well, that, and the fact that he didn't mind the condition of what my prize would be if I won. But mostly because irrational wanted a kiss from him.

At least, that's how I'm justifying it anyhow.

I heard the front door open and shut. Moments later, Edward entered my vision, a smirk on his face. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the obvious way he was flaunting his win. Luckily, before he could say anything, a girl with shoulder length blond hair entered behind him, and cleared her throat.

"Dinner's ready," she said, her voice extremely soft. I had to concentrate hard to hear it, despite the fact that the room was completely silent. Edward turned towards her, nodding his head and motioning for me to follow him to the dining room. The girl moved out of his way as he passed him.

"Hey, Jane," I said, giving her a small smile. I got one in return, having already become friends with her in the last few days, despite the fact that, so far, I had only seen her when she announced dinner.

I had been a bit shocked the first time I had met Jane, having been unaware of who she was. I mean, I knew that there were servants here, or, at least expected it, but I hadn't really been prepared to meet one of them, nor had I been prepared for it to be someone who looked younger than me.

The first dinner I had here, Edward had come and gotten me when it came time to eat. The dinners after that had been delivered to my room by someone unknown to me, though I had, at that time, assumed that it had been Edward. It hadn't even occurred to me that it might have been someone else.

Then, the first dinner out of my room, having been trapped with Edward at the time, I had discovered that Jane was the one responsible for making sure that everyone ate. I had been startled at first, as she was very good at sneaking up on a person.

I had been rather happy to discover that there was someone else here other than Edward, as I yet to really see anyone yet. Unfortunately, it took a bit to coax her into talking to me that first day, as she was used to being ignored. I had given a dirty look to Edward's back when I realized that.

Once I managed to get her to say more than a few words to me, we had started talking on the way to the dining room, and sometimes, she would stay in the room with us so I could still talk to her. I had learned a bit about her the last two days, like the fact that her father, Marcus, lived in Italy, and her mother, Didyme, had died when she was three.

She also informed me that both her older brother James and twin brother Alec worked around there as well, and that I would most likely meet her twin sometime, if I was allowed; it seemed that her brother could almost always be found in the library, and that the whole household had heard of my love for books.

In fact, I had felt a bit bad when she mentioned that her brother had been looking forward to meeting me, but had been unable too when I got 'punished'. I had found myself wishing that I hadn't been so subborn to stay in my room my first full day here, as he sounded interesting.

I had also been surprised to discover that she was three years older than me, and even said so.

Jane started walking next to me on the way to the dining room.

"I won't be able to stay," she told me. I looked over to her. "I promised that I would have dinner with my boyfriend tonight."

That was another thing I learned about Jane; she had a boyfriend named Riley, whose step-sister, Victoria, was married to her older brother. They had apparently met at James' wedding and hit it off immediately.

I knew that Jane didn't spent much time with Riley, due to their jobs, and, while I wanted to avoid talking to him, I knew that it would be a good idea to distract him from the fact that I needed to kiss him. Dinner would be the perfect time to strike up a conversation with him. At least, I hoped it would be. I usually ignored him in favor of talking to Jane, or just allowing silence to reign, just like the first time I ate with him.

I gave Jane a hug before walking into the room, saying that I would see her tomorrow as I did so. Walking towards my seat, I was surprised to discover that Edward, who usually sat across from me, was sitting in the seat next to where I usually sat. Confusion crossed my face as I sat down, asking silently what he was doing sitting there. I received no answer.

As we began eating, I struggled to think of a good conversation opener. Luckily for me, he started one himself.

"Did you and my mother enjoy yourselves?" he asked me. I nodded my head, narrowing my eyes at him as I realized that it wasn't a lucky for me thing. For some reason, I just knew that he was about bring up the bet and his prize, the very thing I was trying to avoid. So I interrupted him with the main question in my mind.

"Who's Esme?" I asked. I could tell I surprised him, and that he was confused as to the way I was asking. I decided to elaborate.

"The hallway leading up to my…our room," I amended, since that was true. "You said that Esme decorated it. The way that you said it, it made it sound as if she was someone close to you. I thought she was your mother, but obviously I was wrong. So, I was wondering who she was?"

"What makes you think she anything but my interior decorator?" he asked back, a smirk coming to his face. I glared at him, unamused.

"Last time I checked, people don't refer to their interior decorators as anything but that, and, if they do, it's not by their first names unless your in a relationship. "

I stopped there, taking a deep breath as I asked yet again, "So who is she?"

I could tell that he was considering avoiding the question – I could tell that he was…_uncomfortable_ with questions – but, luckily, he seemed to think it was worth answering.

"Esme's my stepmother," he said. I nodded my head, realizing that I wasn't that far off with their connection. She was still a mother, just not in the way I had originally thought. I waited to see if he would say more on the subject, but his face stayed blank.

"What about the rest of your family?" I asked, unable to stop myself from doing so. That wasn't the way I wanted to ask. I wanted to ask about each person, despite the fact that I didn't know how many family members he had.

"I mean, does Alice resemble your dad more than your mom?" I tried again, wanting to be specific and yet wanted him to talk about them without prompt from me.

"No. Actually, Alice looks like her mother," he said, sounding slightly suspicious about why I was asking these questions, yet slightly happy about it at the same time, if that makes any sense. I think he thought I was trying to find out about his family because I was warming up to him, not trying to avoid kissing him.

"So she looks like Esme," I said, making no mention that he had just revealed that she was his half sister. It was prospect that I was used to, as I would most likely end up with a half-sibling soon, as Renee was most likely going to end up pregnant at some point. At least, I suspected it was going to happen, and soon.

"No," he said. He went silent after that as I waited for him to elaborate. Minutes went by as silence reigned, and I realized that he had no plans of continuing. I grew angry.

"Dammit, Edward, would you please tell me more about your family?" I growled, my irritation showing. I could tell that I was amusing him a bit, the smirk on his face saying so.

"Why?" he asked, and I could hear his amusement as well.

"Because I want to know. I want to know how your parents got together and why they divorced. I want to know more about your mother. I want to know about your father, and his however many wives, since you just indicated that Esme wasn't Alice's mother. I want to know how many siblings you have, and what they're like," I ranted. As I said these things and more, I realized, with a strange, startling clearity, that my want to know about these things were no longer just a way of avoidance. I really did want to know more about them…and him.

This realization seemed to hit me with the force of a semi, leaving me a bit breathless. Luckily, I was able to play it off as just loosing my breath from my rant, so he didn't really seem to wonder why I was suddenly gasping for air. Instead, he looked at me with a bit of concern and amusement; concern over my lost of breath, but amused at the cause, or what he thought was the cause.

"I guess you should be informed about my family, as you will most likely meet them sometimes," he said. I nodded automatically, a bit surprised that he had given in so easily. I had almost expected him to either evade me on this issue a bit more, or say something about me kissing him.

Not that I wasn't happy, though. In fact, I was thrilled that he hadn't.

"I guess I should start with my parents, well, their story anyways," he said. I sat up straighter, giving him all of my attention.

"Well, lets see…I guess we should start with how my parents know each other. Yeah, that's a good place," he muttered, as if to himself, for I had to concentrate in order to hear what he was saying.

"My parents, Elizabeth Masen and Carlisle Cullen, met each other back in elementary school, when they were both put into the same forth grade class, though their parents, my grandparents, had known each other for years beforehand. They became fast friends, though many others thought that it was more, since neither of them seemed to date anyone, and were always around each other, but that was mostly because my grandparents on both sides didn't want them to date anyone but each other.

"Of course, they didn't find this out until my mother's seventeenth birthday, which ended up doubling as an engagement party for the two of them. They tried to fight it, of course; neither of them really cared for each other as more than brother and sister at most, but my grandparents were very…persuasive in their arguments.

"So, my parents decided that it was better to just give in and make them happy, got married, and was born about a year after their marriage. Of course, unknown to my grandparents, my parents had already made an arrangement beforehand, a sort of…counter act to the engagement. You see, my grandparents weren't exactly young when they had my parents, and, in truth, I believe it was the fact that they somehow knew that they wouldn't live that long, and that was the reason why they wanted a quick wedding between them."

"What do you mean, you believed that they somehow knew that they woundn't live long?" I interrupted, curious as to why he made that admission. He gave me a look that seemed to say, _Don't interrupt me again_ before he cleared his throat.

"I just mean that, back then, it sometimes felt as if they knew things before it happened. The way they would talk and acted around me, it's hard to believe that they didn't have some forsight of something bad happening."

He fell silent for a moment, then continued.

"They all died before my sixth birthday, my father's parents in a plane accident, and my mother's in a car. Two months after the funerals, my parents did a 'friendly divorce', really having no qualms about what got what. In fact, the only thing they did almost fight was who got custody of me, until they just decided to live together in the same house until one of them found someone.

"They did date around for a little while after that. It was my mother who was the one who first fell in love. She met, dated, and married Alexander Masen within a year. That was when I was suddenly…shuffled to a different house every month. Luckily, my mother was able to convince my step father to move to where we were living, so I didn't have to deal with having to go to two different schools or being tutored. However, I had to admit, as nice as Alexander was, I like being with my dad the best, as there was really no change with him at the time. Plus, mom was showing signs of being pregnant, though I had just thought she was getting fat at the time."

I had to stifle a laugh at that, understanding that he probably didn't' know much about females at the time. _That must have been Dianna_ I thought, though I didn't bring it up. Something told me he would either.

"Anyhow, about a year and a half after my mother got remarried, my dad met Alice's mother, Mary," he continued, proving me right when he moved away from the subject of just who his mother was pregnant with. "He didn't really date Mary, she was just _there_ one day. I learned later on that they had gotten drunk and had a one night stand, but forgot about protection. So, my dad did the…honorably thing, and married her.

"Now, Mary wasn't bad; in fact, she was more like a babysitter than a step-mother, more playful than anything. I just wasn't used to not having all the attention on me. Mean, on one hand, my mother was busy taking care of my newest little sister; on the other, my father was making sure that my new step-mother was comfortable.

"Of course, once Alice was born, my discomfort disappeared, strangely enough. I even began to grow closer to Mary afterwards, and would help with Alice when I was at my father's house. I would also help out with my other little sister, but I tended to feel a little abandoned when I was with my mother, who seemed to only have eyes for my little sister.

"So, I began to spend more time with my father and Mary than I did with my mother, and the custody agreement was changed so I would spend most of my time with my father, weekends with my mother, and we would all spend the holidays together. The house that my parents had lived in together after the divorce became what I tended to call the 'Holiday and Birthday House', as that was where we all would live for those times."

I couldn't help but start to ask, "But when did Dianna…"

I trailed off, clasping my hand over my mouth as I realized that I started to say something I didn't mean to. He looked at me sharply, but took a deep breath, and said, "I can't really tell you what happened yet."

I nodded my head, slightly shaken from the tone of his voice as he said that. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it when I realized that I had no idea what to say.

"All I can really give you is that I was thirteen, Dianna was six, and Alice was five. And it was around one of the family get together holidays."

He took a deep breath after that, and then started talking again.

"After what happened to Dianna, mom was slightly inconsolable, and was sent to a mental hospital for a while. I would still stay with Alexander on the weekends I was supposed to stay with her, and he would take me to go visit her as well."

He still spoke with a detatched voice, and I realized that this was something that he didn't seem to be ready to discuss either, for it was causing him pain. Plus, if I was honest, if felt a bit like he was no longer there in the room, but stuck in his memories. As much as I didn't care for him, and the way that he had been treating me, I couldn't stand that thought of him in pain.

"So when will I meet Mary?" I asked, desperate to get off the depressing subject. He suddenly looked at me, startled, before shaking his head lighltly. The blank look on his face disappeared.

"As much as I wish you would, you won't be able to," he told me. "About three years after Dianna died, Mary was killed in hit and run accident."

I winced as I realized that I had just switched from one death topic to another.

"Where does Esme come in, then?" I asked, hoping that that was a safe topic. I really didn't know what was safe to talk about to him, my knowledge of him was so limited.

"Esme? Oh yes, Esme," he said, as if he had forgotten and was just remembering her.

"My father met Esme about six years ago. She and her daughter Bree were frequent patients of his. It was after the thirtieth visit, when she came in with a broken leg, that my father started to become concerned. He began pulling both her's and Bree files together, including the ones before they had moved to town, and realized that the injuries they were suffering from were too…periodic and seemed to be deliberate that he realized that something was wrong.

"He discovered that her husband, Charles, was abusing them. Of course, when he first told Esme he knew, she freaked, and refused to say anything. It wasn't until Bree almost died from her injuries that my father was finally able to convince Esme to go to the police.

"Of course, Charles had managed to make some friends with the nurses at the hospital, and managed to convince one ot tell him if his wife said anything about police, so he was gone by the time the cops got to the house. It took about a month to find him. It turned out that he was staying with the one nurse, who ended up becoming a victim of his abuse as well; only she ended up dead.

"Anyways, after they caught him, he ended up hanging himself, knowing that he wouldn't just be going to jail for abuse, but also for murder.

"Of course, by then, my father and Esme had gotten quite attached to each other, as she and Bree stayed with him, and it only took him the day after Charles was caught to ask her to marry him the first time. Since she wasn't divorced at the time, she said no. My dad ended up asking her four times before she said yes.

"They were married two years later, and have been happy with each other ever since."

He stopped there, and something told me that was the end of his story, though he didn't tell me anything about their personalities.

However, as I yawned, I realized that he had been talking for a while, as the clock now showed itself to be around nine.

"Wow, time flew by," I said, pusing my chair back a way from the table, which was empty. I hadn't realized that the servants had come and cleared it, I was so…enthralled by his tale. I headed towards my room, noticing that he was following me. I was quick in changing, and was about to go to bed when he said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

_Dammit_ I thought, already knowing what it was he was hinting at. I had hoped that he had forgotten about the fact that I had yet to give him his prize. Taking a deep breath, I turned to him. Though I didn't want to, I knew that I had to honor the fact that I had lost the bet, and give him his prize. _Besides, a kiss isn't that bad_ I tried to tell myself, despite the fact that I couldn't shake the feeling that it would be bad for me. I mean, I may end up liking it.

"I'm waiting," he said, his smirk back in place. I could tell he knew that I was stalling, and I could also tell that he wasn't going to let me not kiss him either. _Alright then, looks like I'm goin to have to give him a real kiss_ I thought to myself.

Squaring my shoulders, I walked over to him, determined to just kiss him and get it over with. Stopping right in front of him, I took another deep breath. Lifting my hands up to his face, I pulled it down until I was almost touching his lips. Connecting my eyes with his, I closed mine before I pressed my lips to his.

His lips were warm and smooth. I gently opened my mouth, allowing my tongue to tentatively touch them before swiping at the seam, asking for an entrance that I was quickly granted. _This is it_ I thought as I slowly allowed my tongue into his mouth. I explored it for a bit before my tongue ended up tangling with his.

I couldn't help but notice that there was a spark as I kissed him, one that I hated to admit, even if it was to myself. While the kiss itself wasn't passionate, it still seemed intimate, and not at all as casual as I wished it would be. Pulling away from him, I took a deep breath, feeling air coming back to my lungs.

I stepped away from him, trying to dispel the intimate feel that was in the air. Opening my eyes, which I had kept closed, I noticed that he was still standing where I left him, but looking just as shocked at I felt. His eyes, which had been closed, opened up, and I saw that he was just as surprised as I was. However, it was only there for a moment, and the spell was broken when he let a smirk color his face once more and said, "Now there, that wasn't that bad, was it?"

I growled, glaring at him before turning around and crawling into bed. Sinking down into the bed, I ignored him as he crawled in next to me, and tried to get to sleep, despite the busy mess that was my thoughts. I tensed as I felt his arm come around my waist and pull me into him, yet, almost immediately, I also felt relaxed, my thoughts no longer in turmoil.

I didn't feel like thinking about that, however, and allowed the sweet oblivion of sleep to claim me.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve – Emmett and Clothes Replacements**

* * *

I knew right away that something was different when I woke up the next morning. The arm that had been slung over me was no longer there and there was no warmth of another body near me. Plus, I had the strangest feeling that someone was watching me. While I knew that Edward sometime did that, having actually woken up to it, the eyes seemed to come from somewhere else, more in front of me than anything, plus, the stare seemed to be more intense.

Slowly opening my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of an empty bed. My first thought, upon discovering this, was not a good one, as the last time I had woken up to an empty bed, I had ended up being trapped in this room all alone. I thought I did something to get him angry once more.

However, as I remembered the strange feeling I had upon waking up, I turned over, and found, to my surprise, that there was someone else in the room. I almost instantly recognized him as the bigger than Pug guy that had been here the day I had tried to escape.

"Hey, looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake," he said. I immediately sat up, wondering what he was doing here in my room.

"I'm Emmett," he said, introducing himself. He held out his hand, waiting for me to introduce myself, though I knew that he probably already knew who I was.

"Bella," I said, just to be polite. The smile he gave as I shook his hand told me that I had indeed been right; he already knew my name.

"What are you doing in here? Where's Edward?" I asked, before I realized that the rather desperate way I asked the last question made it seem as if I wanted to know for a completely different reason than the real one. He raised his eyebrow, obviously thinking what I was afraid he would end up thinking.

"I mean, he's usually here when I wake up, and the last time he wasn't in here when I woke up…" I trailed off as I noticed that he understood what I was saying. I was afraid that I would isolated again. Pathetic, I know, but I couldn't help that automatically think that, especially since I didn't know if he would make it a habit.

"Edward decided that you were allowed to do something you wanted to do. So long as I'm with you, you are basically free from being stuck in his study with him all the time," Emmett said. A smile crossed my face as I inwardly jumped for joy. Even though I had lost the bet, Edward, for some reason, was giving me the prize I had asked for. I wondered why for a moment, then decided that I didn't care, so long as I wasn't stuck with him. Besides, I figured that he was doing it because I had been annoying him the last few days.

I jumped from the bed, telling Emmett to give me a few moments before rushing to the bathroom, taking the quickest shower I could before realizing that I had forgotten to grab clothes. Grabbing the black terrycloth robe, I walked to the cdresser, grabbing a pair of Edward's sleep pants – he really didn't get me many comfortable clothes – and a long sleeve tee before thinking about what I wanted to do.

Strangely enough, now that I had my freedom – partially – I couldn't think of what I wanted to do. I didn't want to read; as much as I loved to read, I didn't feel like doing so right now. I, in fact, didn't want to do anything that ws typical of me; read, write, play the violin, though the latter wasn't a regular occurance for me.

Instead, I wanted to do something that I usually didn't do; go through the clothes that Edward had bought for me. Usually, I hated anything that might lead to clothes shopping; going through clothes to find what fits, what doesn't, what's to destroyed, and what's not liked anymore usually leads to it, so I tried to avoid it as much as possible.

However, the fact that I had to use Edward's clothes because everything that was mine wasn't what I really cared for had me eager to condense the amount of clothes, as I figured that I wouldn't really wear those that I didn't like, no matter what was said.

"So, what are we doing?" Emmett asked, startling me. In my musings, I had forgotten that he was there.

"_I'm_ going to go through my clothes," I said, emphasizing who it was that was going to do so. I didn't need him touching anything.

"Why are going to do that. I mean, Alice chose everything you would most likely need. She didn't even let Edward have a choice, either," he said, frowning. I raised an eyebrow at that, having assumed that Edward had done so, even if you did employ a female to help. To find that he had nothing to do with it was, strangely enough, a relief. At least I was saved from the embarrassment that he chose my undergarments, which I had yet to really go through, though the few glances I had taken of them already told me that I wouldn't be wearing many of them.

Plus, the fact that I had been stealing Edward's clothes as much as possible – he had even made a comment about it yesterday, before his mother had come to visit, that I needed to change out of his things, though I didn't – were obvious signs that, just because Alice thought I needed those clothes, didn't mean that they were wanted.

If there was one thing I hated, it was not being in charge of my own wardrobe. Which was why I was glad that, after that first day I was here, Edward hadn't tried to make me wear what he wanted me to wear; though what he did choose wasn't to bad.

"Just because Alice thinks she knows what I need doesn't mean that she actually does. In fact, from what I've seen of the clothes she decided I needed, she doesn't. All of the clothes in there are most likely her attempt at trying to control what I wear, which is something I do not care for," I said fiercely, glaring at him. He shrugged, an obvious look of 'Do what you want to do, on his face.

"But what are you going to do for clothes, then? You can't keep wearing Edward's things, no matter how much you want to," he told me. I frowned once more, having not thought about that little fact, before. It only took me minutes to remember something.

"If I can go online, I can buy some clothes. Of course, it would have to be billed to Edward," I said. "He's rich, right?"

I couldn't help but think about how…_satisfying_ it would be to make him pay quite a bit of money on clothes for me, especially since the sites I was thinking about buying them from weren't known being for having cheep things. The fact that I, no matter how much I wished, had never been able to get things from these places unless the item was on sale made me all the more eager to make Edward buy them. Of course, I also knew that, half the things I wanted, well, wearing them a lot wasn't likely to happen.

Still didn't mean that I wanted them any less.

"Lets go and ask him," I said, making up my mind. I walked down to his study – having memorized the way – with Emmett behind me, and walked straight in. Edward, who was bent over his desk reading something, looked up at me with an annoyed look on his face that disappeared once he realized who it was that had interrupted him.

"Yes?" he asked, obviously wondering what I was doing there, despite my previous words about how I didn't want to spend any more time in that room. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Can I go on the computer and order some more clothes?"

"Why?" he asked. "Alice said she got you everything you would need."

"Just as I told Emmett, just because 'Alice; said she got me everything needed doesn't mean that she got me wanted items. I refuse not having my wardrobe be what I choose, as, more often than not, people who try to buy things for other people clothes wise tend to buy what they think the person wants, or what they want the person to have, and disregards what the actual person might want," I said, my voice firm. "While I am going to go through all of my clothes, from what I've already seen of what I was given, I will not wear any of it."

I was prepared to add more, but he chuckled.

"Something told me that you wouldn't like half of the things she got you when I first saw them, but she was so convinced that you would end up thanking her later," he said, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a black credit card, and held it out to me.

"Go through the clothes first, and then have Emmett set up my laptop for you. You can buy whatever you want, though I do have a request," he said. "Please buy some formal outfits. You can also get some other things besides clothes, like some books or music, if you so wish. Oh, and do what you want with the clothes you don't like."

I reached for the card, but, before I could get it, his other hand came up and yanked me onto his lap. Startled, I went to ask what the hell he was doing, but was stopped short when his lips met mine.

The kiss was short, more of a peck, yet it still sent a spark through me.

"I wanted to do that this morning, but I didn't want to wake you," he said, giving me another short kiss, this one a bit longer, though it wasn't passionate. He let me up after this one ended, and I grabbed the card, walking straight out of the room after that. Emmett, who had waited for me in the hall, smiled at me as he noticed that I had Edward's card.

"Take it he's okay with you buying clothes," he commented.

"And anything else I want. You are to set up his laptop for me after I finish going through the clothes," I said. With that last remark – along with the promise that I would be allowed to get more books – I was in a bit of a hurry to get through the clothes sorting and shopping.

* * *

"Wow," Emmett said an hour and a half later. He was staring at the huge pile of 'not going to keep' clothes, as he had been when it started getting bigger than the 'keeep' pile – which only held two dress, one skirt, and four shirts. "You sure don't seem to want a lot of these clothes, even though they're in a perfectly good condition, and would most likely look good on you."

He picked up the first item he saw.

"Now, why don't you want this?" he asked, holding up the sundress.

"It's yellow," I said simply, shaking my head at yet another hideous – to me, at least – dress, and tossing it onto the pile.

"That was the last of what's in the closet, now time to tackle the dresser," I muttered.

"What does it being yellow have to do with why you don't like it?" Emmett asked, still confused. I sighed.

"Yellow, gold, and bright orange gives me major headaches. I try to do my best to avoid wearing the color," I said. He nodded his head then, as if understanding what I was saying. I pulled the few yellow night clothes out of the drawer I was in – the rest were, surprisingly, alright, and I wished I had know that they were hear earlier, as I kept stealing Edward's clothes – before moving onto the next drawer.

"You must be glad that you don't have to deal with the color a lot, then," he said.

"I usually have to deal with it at work. Ms. Goodmen, my boss who hates me, had her office repainted yellow, and gave me the office right across from hers. She always keeps her blinds open, and demands that I do as well, so I would end up seeing the walls whenever I looked up from my computer before I got permission to move my desk around," I said, then realized that I was giving him information about my life…and was actually comfortable doing so, something that I hadn't expected.

He snorted.

"'Boss that hates you'? Did you do something to make her hate you, or does she just hate you for no reason?" he asked.

"I did something to make her hate me, though it wasn't on purpose," I said. When I saw the expression on his face – one that said, '_come on, tell_ – I began to explain.

"About two weeks after I began working there, the manager of the place, Mr. Pearson, decided that I would be the person to proof an article from one of the writers. I forgot what the article was, but I, when I was proofing it, saw that the guy had mentioned something that I knew was untrue and could ruin the reputation of the paper. So I let Mr. Pearson know, and he fired the guy.

"I felt a bit horrible afterwards, having thought he was just going to fire people for getting an article wrong and the fact that I was told to write the report, but one of the senior reporters let me know that he had it coming, as he just couldn't seem to get anything right.

"Of course, I found out later that it was Ms. Goodmen's grandson I had gotten fired. When she found ou that I was responsible for it, she became my worse enemy."

Emmett laughed.

"You want to know something else?" I asked him. He nodded his head.

"I was actually relieved at first when I heard he was fired, as it meant I wouldn't have to deal with him trying to ask me out for the hundredth time. He just did get the fact that I kept saying no, and was always asking me, almost eight times a day."

"Well, why didn't you go out with him?" Emmett asked.

This time, it was my turn to snort.

"Two reasons," I started. "One, he wouldn't ask me out. He'd ask my breasts. Two, he would asked all the girls in the office that question. He was a pig, acted like he was god's gift to women, and never seemed to think we were serious when we said no."

I smirked.

"Of course, once I ended up getting him fired, he would always ignore me. I think he took me getting him fired as a huge slap to his ego, and my way of saying 'no', as if I hadn't been saying it since we first met."

Emmett laughed at that.

"That reminds me of someone Edward and I went to school with. What was his name?" he asked.

"Mike Newton," I answered as I through almost an entire drawerful of lingerie that I didn't even have to go through to know I would use; I still did so anyways, discovering that my thoughts were indeed right. Surprisingly, I wasn't embarrassed at all for going through the lingerie and undergarments with him there.

"Your kidding me, right?" he suddenly asked. I looked over at him sharply.

"No, why?" I asked.

"That's the name of the guy we went to school with as well," he answered. I couldn't help but laugh as well, since, from the sounds of it, Mike hadn't changed since school.

"Was he a friend of yours or something?" I asked, rolling my eyes as he dropped the dress in favor of holding up stretch lace open-bust teddy in dark green. I didn't even need to read his mind to know that he was thinking about how that would look on someone, though the who that someone is was unknown to me.

"If you know someone whose my size and could use this, I suggest you grab what you want. I would suggest you grab from the lingerie for the most part, as those will just go into the trash," I told him. He was quick in snatchin up the pile, saying, "No, no need to throw it away. I'm sure Rose wouldn't mind a few new pieces."

I didn't bother asking who Rose was, figuring she was either a girlfriend or fuck buddy; either way, it wasn't really my business.

I continued to go through my clothes as we talked, and I was glad to discover that there were a few undergarments that I woud be able to keep, all of them modest and in what I considered to be good colors. The yellows, oranges, and golds, of course, didn't make it into the keep pile.

Emmett kept on grabbing the things he figured 'Rose' would like from the charity pile. He had tried to grab somethings from the keep pile, only to have his hand smacked. After having gone through everything, I had Emmett take off all of the hangers that I left on the not keeping stuff while putting away the things I would keep.

"Computer time," I told him. He was quick in setting up the laptop for me, and, in no time at all, I was on.

* * *

"There is no way you really needed to get some of those dresses," Emmett said to me just as was finishing up with my online shopping. I ignored him, as he had been saying that since he saw the first site I even went to. I already knew that he was right, but I also knew that what I needed and what I wanted were different things. Besides, Edward had asked that I get formal clothes, and while I didn't believe that the ones that I had chosen were what he was thinking, they were formal.

I had gone to all the sites that I usually would just look at what they had on them as opposed to what I was doing now, and had done what I always wished I could when I looked through them. I bought what I wanted, including some of the jewelry and shoes. Once I had finished replacing the clothes and gotten a few jewelry pieces and a couple pairs of shoes, I had started looking for some music, books, and some movies that I had been wanting but had yet to get.

"Exactly how much would you wear out of everything you got?" he asked.

"I will wear it, now leave me alone," I finally snapped at him. I felt sorry almost immediately afterwards, but, before I could say anything, in apology, the door to the room opened.

"Hey, Emmett, Edward needs you to do something for him," the person, a man, said. I recognized him as one of the blondes that had been here when I had tried to escape.

Emmett quickly turned towards me.

"Please make sure that you keep the stuff for Rose separate when you bag up all of the unwanted clothes. I'll be back later to grab it," he told me before leaving. The blonde guy, who I expected to leave with him, surprise me by walking into the room.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm here to take Emmett's place in watching you," he answered back, sounding terribly formal. I wasn't sure if I would end up liking him as I did Emmett; then, he said something that surprised me.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – Jasper, James, and Alec**

* * *

"Are you another person who doesn't care for Alice?" he said. Looking at him confused, he looked pointedly at the piles of clothes on the bed.

"It looks like you don't care much for Alice's choice of clothing," he said. I started at him; unlike everyone else who had…questioned the whole 'I don't want this wardrobe Alice picked' had seemed to think that there was something wrong with me. At least, Emmett had, as Edward hadn't seemed all that surprised over this fact, making me wonder if he had only gone with allowing Alice to do so because Alice was the so called fashion director for the women around.

At least, that's what Emmett had told me when I asked why he had seemed so surprised over my not liking Alice's choice of clothing. Apparently, every female who worked for Edward had her clothes picked by Alice. My answer to that had been I wasn't working for him; though I was going to fight it all the way, Edward wanted me to marry him. Emmett had shut up after that.

Now, however, the guy in front of me didn't sound disbelieving over the fact that I hadn't just allowed Alice to have say in what I wear; if anything, he sounded amused.

"No, I don't," I answered, waiting for him to say something else about it; what, I wasn't sure.

"That's good. I thought that Edward and Emmett were stupid to let her try to control what you wear," he said. "It's just a way of Alice trying to excert control over you anyways."

"You sound as if you know something about Alice that the others either don't know, or refuse to think about," I commented. "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that we haven't been introduced. I'm Jasper. And my knowledge of Alice comes from the fact that I used to date her. We were actually supposed to be married," he said. I could tell right away that the marriage that was supposed to happen hadn't, and wondered why.

"What happened?" I asked, my curiousity rousing itself once more. Then, I realized that it might be a subject that he didn't want to talk about, and was about to apologize when he spoke.

"No, you don't need to apologize," he said, and I was stunned when it did, as if he had read my mind.

"I honestly don't mind telling you what happened. In fact, I think it would be better so your not left in the unknown when it comes to certain things in this family."

He walked over towards the empty chair Emmett had been sitting in, taking it over for himself.

"I met Alice about six years ago, when I first applied to work for Edward. I have to admit, I was intrigued by her a bit when we first met, and had found myself on a date with her within a week. We dated for about two years before I asked her to marry me."

"What happened after that?" I asked.

"She started to become distant not long after, making excuses not to go places with me. She would also forget to wear the ring I got her. However, I didn't think that anything was wrong until one day when I saw her wearing a different ring that I hadn't gotten her. I didn't say anything, so I don't know if she knew I saw it, but, after that, I began to follow her without her notice, though I could tell that Edward and Emmett knew.

"I was surprised when they didn't act like I was doing something wrong, though I could tell they were puzzled, leading me to believe that I was the only one who was seeng her distance. Edward was the one who was even more puzzled over my sudden suspicion over Alice, but I think that had more to do with their family connection over anything else.

"It was a week after they found out that I was following Alice that I found her with another man, one who was in the same boat that I was, which I found out after I confronted her. Turns out, she was playing us both, and had even agreed to marry the both of us. After we discovered her…_affairs_, we both broke up with her, and went our own ways."

He looked at me, having been staring off into space then.

"I'm now involved with Edward's and Alice's step-sister, Bree. And I see the guy who Alice played around with when she was with me on a daily bases, as he also works for Edward. In fact, from what I hear, your friends with his sister, Jane. Like me, he's found someone else…" he trailed off as the pieces came together in my head.

"Jane's older brother James, right?" I asked, gaining a nod of his head. I silently shook my head in amusement, marveling just how much of a small world this place was.

"We usually prefer not having Alice around when the both of us are here, so as long as James and I are needed here, there is less of a chance of Alice staying here," he said. I looked at him, confused.

"Why does Alice being here matter or not?" I asked.

"I know that the others would saying something that about me being crazy, but, from what I've seen, Edward is the only person besides their father that Alice seems to like and treat properly. If it wasn't for their family connection, I would say that Alice had a crush on Edward," he said, before leaning a bit closer to me.

"I've seen how Alice acts around the few women that Edward has causally dated, and it's the same way a jealous woman acts when they see the guy they want with someone else."

"She didn't seem like that when she came to get me," I said to him.

He held up one of the not wanted clothes that Alice had gotten me.

"It was probably because Johnson was sent with her, as Pug is still in the stages where he doesn't know better about how she is with me, because she's usually not so bad at choosing clothes for women. She usually gets a person what would look good on them, but, from the looks of this, she didn't do too good of a job."

He held it up to me, tisking as he compared the bright green and yellow color to my skin.

"Somethimg tells me that if you wore this, it would make you look a bit sick or make your skin look sallow. If you've seen what the other girls wear that Alice picks out for them, you would know that Alice wouldn't do something like this unless it was on purpose. I think even Edward notice, since, from what I hear, he just gave you the card without fighting about it; he usually trusts what Alice gets too much to not ask for more of a reason than 'I won't wear what she got me' reason that you told him."

He stopped there, thinking about something else.

"Then again, with you, he might of even if she had gotten you something that you would wear. He seems to act a bit differently around you than he has to other women he's dated in the past."

"Has he wanted to marry any of them?" I asked. I could tell that the point – that the only reason why he was acting differently with me over with them was the fact that he had different intentions with me – was understood as he gave a sort of 'I see your point' look to me.

"So, how does Alice feel about you being with her step-sister?" I asked.

"She's pissed, but mostly because she was unable tempt me back into her bed when she found out. Alice prefers to be in control when it comes to men, and thinks she can do whatever she wants. The fact that I refused her has mad it clear that I don't really care much for her anymore, something that she just doesn't seem to understand that much," he said.

"She sounds very…vain," I commented. "So, I think we should finish this up so they can be sent out to a shelter. Oh, keep the lingerie separate as well. And Emmett had gone through some of these for his girl Rose, so this pile right here goes to him."

I pointed to each of the three piles left, as I put the pile of keeping clothes away already. I wasn't too discreet in moving the subject away from Alice; I really didn't care to learn much more about Alice. What I was just told about her seemed to tell me that she was a bitch. However, I would reserve my opinion until I actually met her for longer than an errand.

The bagging the clothes was done quicker than she thought, though it seemed that they weren't really all that concered with being nice about it Grabbing the bags, he led us to the kitchen, where the other blonde man from that night was at.

"Hey James, which do you want, watching Ms. Swan –" Jasper started before I interrupted.

"Bella," I said. Ms. Goodmen was the only one who ever referred to me as Ms. Swan, and I never liked being called it; I preffered people calling me by my name, not my last name.

"Bella," corrected himself, looking at me for a second before turning back to James, "or do you want to take these two bag to a woman's charity."

"I'll take the watching job, for now," he said, and, if Jasper hadn't told me that both of them had been played by Alice, I would have never guess, since they acted like the best of friends.

"'For now'?" Jasper quoted.

"Yeah, Victoria and I have a date in half-an-hour," James said. Jasper looked a bit worried for a second.

"I'm not sure how long finding a place for these will take, and she can't be left alone…"Jasper trailed off. I bristled at the fact that I apparently had to be baby-sat, but kept my mouth shut. I did tell Edward that I would have a companion of his choice with me at all times, though I didn't know if I really cared about the fact that I had to be shuffled around like this. I would have at least thought he would get someone who could stay with me the whole time.

Then again, if he did say I wasn't allowed to be left alone, I could see why they wouldn't want to be stuck with me all day. I wasn't exactly exciting, especially when I didn't really have anything to do.

"I'll bring her to Alec then. He's been wanting to meet her for awhile anyways," James said, passing by Jasper to my side.

"So go get whatever it is that you need to get done," he finished, before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and turning me around. He walked us out of the room, heading towards the music room.

"Why don't we wait here for a while. Maybe get to know each other until it's time to hand you off to Alec," he said, opening he door and guesturing me into the room. I walked through, and went to sit on the piano bench, while leaned up against the wall.

"What do you want to know? Unless your going to be the one to share," I said. He thought for a moment, then said, "I supposed Jasper already told you about Alice, right?"

I nodded my head.

"I also supposed you might be wondering how it is that it wasn't until after she had excepted our proposals that we found out about her deception," he continued. I had to admit, he was right on the mark about that one. I mean, they're both working for Edward, how was it that she was able to hide the fact that she was with one or the other when they would most likely be around each other.

The only thing I didn't like was the fact that he was automatically assuming I wanted to know; of course, I did want to know. I waited for him to speak, but he said nothing. Then, I realized that he was waiting for confirmation that I wanted to know; at least, I think he was.

"So how was it that you didn't know about each other until that moment?" I asked, appeasing him and my curiousity.

"Back then, I was actually working for Edward's father, had been working for him for a few years. And, while I knew about Edward, I had only met him, and those with him, briefly. Plus, Alice had convinced me that her parents and family wouldn't agree with us being together, something that was stupid to believe, now that I really think about it…" he continued on, telling me his side of the story. I had to admit, I did agree with the fact that he had been an idiot, and I felt only a bit sorry for him upon the discovery that she was playing with him.

Mostly, I thought he was an idiot for not noticing that there was something wrong sooner than he actually did. I mean, really, telling him to hide a relationship from those he worked with should have brought up warning flags that she had something to hide.

He looked at his watch to check the time before mentioning that we had been talking together for at least twenty minutes; at least, he had been talking, for all I had been doing is listening, and I couldn't find it in me to be unhappy at the fact that I would be getting away from him. He talked to much for me to care much about him.

I was nice enough, However, not to betray my impatience of wanting to get away from him, and allowed him to lead me to the library, despite the fact that I remembered were it was without any help. It was just as grand and impressive as I remembered it to be, though this time, unlike last time, there was someone else in the room.

James left me there, not bothering to introduce me to the person in the room. Though, I really didn't need it, as I had a feeling as to who it was – Alec, Jane's other brother. I started forward, as Alec had looked up towards me when the door had shut behind James.

"Hi, you must be Alec, right?" I said, holding out my hand to shake his. I studied him, surprised at that fact that, despite his relation to James and Jane, he didn't look much like them. Where they had light blond hair, Alec's was a medium brown, and his eyes were more hazel than the green that Jane and James had. However, a futher study showed that they all had the same facial structure, and I could see similarities in Alec's manners that I had seen in Jane.

"Yes. And your Isabella, right?" he answered, shaking my offered hand.

"Just Bella," I corrected him, smiling slightly. He offered a seat to me, only sitting down once I was, almost like an old fashion gentleman would do.

"So, Bella, how much do you like to read?" he asked me, and with that single sentence, we started a conversation about books. We didn't stick to one type of books – he, like me, liked to read many genres of books, even ones that another man would be embarrassed for others to know.

We had many liked books in common, and, throughout our talk, rarely disagreed on what books were good and what weren't. He offered me some optional reads that he might think I would enjoy, and, though our talk had shone that he had read most of the same stories I had, I was able to give him a few options as well. The books that I had suggested were ones that I had seen in my private library, of course, and I offered to let him use them.

I heard the door open behind me, but found the conversation I was having with Alec to stimulating, as we had moved from talking about books that are made into movies, how much they differ, and which ones are better as a movie, and which are better as a book.

"Bella," the quiet voice broke into the conversation. I turned to see Jane standing behind me.

"Mr. Edward told me to tell you that it's time for dinner," Jane told me. I looked over to the clock on the wall to see that Alec and I had been talking for quite a while, and that it was even later than dinner was usually served. However, that thought was only on a small part of my mind, as I didn't want to quite leave Alec, not finished with our conversation.

But I also knew that Edward wouldn't like waiting, and sighed, turning towards Alec.

"It was nice talking to you," I said, giving him a small smile. "I hope we can continue this conversation later."

"I'll be here, usually, unless I have something to do," Alex said, holding out his hand once more. He helped me from the seat I was in and walked me to the door, opening it as he bowed. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I told him thank you, a smile that was still on my face as I walked into the dining room.

"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked.

"Just had a nice conversation with Alec," I told him, my good mood simmering down a bit. Like Emmett, Alec was the kind of person I could see myself being friends with; the only difference between them was the fact that I actually forgot about the fact that Alex had to watch me. I couldn't forget that fact about Emmett when I was with him this morning.

I went to sit down, sudden't feeling a bit ravenous. However, before I could sit down, Edward pulled me towards him.

"Hey –" I started, only to have his mouth cover mine. I made a sound of surprise, and immediately fought back against him. He had no right to just kiss me like this. I hadn't given him permission. While I had kissed him before, I had only done it because of the bet; at least, that was what I was telling myself.

He was aggressive, not even allowing himself to be removed from myself. I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me as I felt my back hit the wall. This kiss was beginning to overwhelm me, as it was a passionate one. His tongue entered my mouth a bit forcefully, immediately seeking mine out. It swept through my mouth, leaving no crevice untouched.

He finally pulled away, breathing just as heavily as I was. I wasn't fighting him anymore, nor was I pushing him away, and his body was flushed against mine. I gasped lightly as I felt his excitement against my stomach, and pushed him away then.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked him, my voice slightly shaky. I was leaning against the wall, feeling as if my legs wouldn't hold my weight if I tried to make them, an effect I was just noticing now.

He didn't say anything, just mentioned for me to sit down. I frowned at him, but knew that I wasn't going to get an answer right now, nor did I want to wait before eating something. My stomach groaned in hunger, as if agreeing with me, and I sat down.

I'd re ask my question later, after eating.

* * *

**_I have started redoing this fic, and have posted the first chapter up on my AO3 account._**

**_Strange Hearts_**


	3. Old Story II

_**Story was called I Do Love You and the original author - the one I adopted it from - was Alynelovesyou.**** Took it down because I didn't like where i was going with it, and wanted to change that.**  
_

* * *

**Chapter One – E-Mails**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

_Yet another teen drinking article from Isabella Swan_ I thought as I paused in my typing to look at the clock. Three o'clock pm read back at me. It was almost the time that I could get off of work and go home. I went back to the article, bored out of my mind. This was about the twentieth time that I've written about teen drinking. I wished that they would stop giving me this article, since it still didn't seem to be getting to anyone. Teens were still drinking, but does that stop my boss, Ms. Goodmen, from making me do the article over and over again. Nope, it didn't.

Not that I did it without a fight. I have tried to get my boss to think about doing something like eating disorders or speedo patting on the swim team, but every time I suggest something, I always get told the same answer, 'Stick with the topic or you're fired!' I think Ms. Goodmen did that because she was jealous that I came up with better ideas than she does.

I typed out a few more lines before glancing at the clock again. 3:21 pm. I sighed. There were only nine more minutes before I was done for the day. I decided to stop where I was at, saving the article before closing it down. I bit my lip. I couldn't leave my office until 3:30. I thought about what I could do to pass the time before deciding to see if I had any unread e-mails. I pulled up my messenger, making sure that my status was invisible as I saw that I had several unread e-mails.

I opened up my messenger to see who had sent me e-mails. Three of them were junk mail, which I immediately deleted. One was from my mother, another from my father. Two of them came from my co-worker, Mike Newton. The final one said Unknown. I thought about which one to open first before deciding to open my mother's.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Renee Dwyer**_

_**Subject: [no subject]**_

_**Hey honey, just seeing what you are up to. Why haven't you called, it's been awhile. I was thinking that maybe Phil and I could come visit you. E-mail me back, or call.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Mom**_

I rolled my eyes at her non-chalant attempt to get invited to my home once again. Every since I got my two-story Victorian townhouse, she been trying to get an invite to stay there awhile. I guessed that she really liked my new home.

Hitting the reply button, I quickly composed a message, letting her know how I was, telling her I was sorry that I hadn't called – though it had only been three days since I had called her last – and letting her know that I wasn't sure when she could visit, but I would try to get it to be soon.

After sending my reply, I opened the e-mail from my father next. Part of me wondered why he e-mailed me, as he didn't do it that often.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Charlie Swan**_

_**Subject: [no subject]**_

_**I won't be home for three weeks. Had to go to New York. Don't worry, everything's okay.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Dad**_

Oh, dad. He always seemed to be going somewhere since he and mom split up. I didn't know why he felt the need to tell me. I had moved out of his house about two months ago, and I had only lived there for about two years. I guess he just got into the habit of telling someone – me – where he was going.

I bit my lip as I looked at my remaining messages. I wasn't really sure that I wanted to find out why Mike had decided to e-mail me, though I had a good idea. Sighing, I decided that I might as well see what he wrote.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Mike Newton**_

_**Subject: Hey**_

_**Hey, Babe, just wondering when you're getting off of work? Do you want to go see a movie or something?**_

_**Mike**_

I sighed again as I rolled my eyes. I knew I shouldn't have read it. I should have just deleted it straight away. He was always asking me out by e-mail. I figured that he was too chicken to just ask me in person. Of course, even if he did that, my answer would still be the same as it has always been.

I deleted that message, and opened his other one, doing a quick scan to see if it was important, only to see that he had _thoughtfully_ – note the sarcasm – left me his phone number with the message _**Call me.**_ I rolled my eyes yet again as I deleted it.

Finally, all that was left was the 'Unknown' message. I paused, wondering if I should even bother reading it. I mean, I obviously didn't know the author – they would have no reason not to let me know who they were. The subject didn't really reveal anything – it just said _**Read me.**_ Hell, if I was smart, I would just trash it like a normal person would probably do.

Yet, I couldn't find it in myself to do so. I mean, this person obviously sent it to me on purpose if they were so desperate to hide their name from others who might see it. I would probably find their name inside of the message. They didn't leave the subject bar empty, though they also didn't give me any real reason to read this.

I sighed for a third time as I went back and forth on the message. Another quick glance at the clock told me that I only had four minutes left before I could leave. Biting my lip, I looked around me before turning back to the screen again. The message seemed to taunt me. Huffing, I decided to open it. I wouldn't be able to rest if I didn't find out who had sent it.

_**To: Isabella Swan**_

_**From: Unknown**_

_**Subject: Read Me**_

_**Hello, my dear Isabella. You don't know who I am but I know you. You see, I have been watching you for awhile, and I have become very interested in you. Why am I interested in you? Oh, there are a few reasons. You see, I am the most powerful man in the world, and I am in need of a wife. And you are the one that I have chosen for the role.**_

_**Now, you can think this over all you want, but there is one thing you should know about me: I DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! So, don't even bother thinking you have a choice in the matter; you don't.**_

_**Well, I'll be seeing you soon. By the way, once you have finished with this message, my sister will be at your office.**_

_**Bye, my dear wife-to-be. **_

I froze in disbelief, but, before I could do anything, a loud knock came from outside my door. I just sat there, to stunned and scared to answer it. I had way to many questions running through my mind. What did this man mean he's been watching me? What did he mean that he has decided that I was to be his wife?

All of these questions ran through my head as the person knocking stopped. I snapped my eyes to the door as I head the knob turn, and watched as it swung open. A short pixie-like girl walked through. She had short, black hair that was styled into spikes. She was wearing something entirely black with a little bit of white showing here and there. He skin was pale, but not extremely pale, and she had green eyes. The expression she wore was hard, as if she was on a mission, though I could detect a bit if softness to her as well.

"Isabella Swan," she said, her voice stern despite its slightly musical tone. The way she stated my name told me that she knew exactly who I was, letting me know that I had no hopes of lying about it. So, instead, I nodded my head, acting as if she had asked my name instead of stating it.

I slowly stood up as I waited for her to say what ever else she needed to say, though I was ended up being floored by her next words.

"You're coming with me."

* * *

**Chapter Two – Alice**

* * *

_Bella Swan's Point of View_

* * *

"Who are you?" I demanded once I was over the shock that had flooded my system. The other question that I wanted to ask bubbled in my throat, just waiting to be released, but I held back to allow her to speak.

"Alice Cullen. Now come on," she said, moving towards me. I backed up.

"Where are you going to take me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her when I saw her do the same to me.

"There isn't time to explain. We have to go, now hurry your ass up," she all but growled at me. She moved towards me again, but stopped when she saw me back away from her again until I hit the wall.

"I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me where we are going," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and setting a look of stubbornness onto my face. Alice sighed.

"You're coming with me because I am to take you to meet your new, soon-to-be husband," she smiled at me, showing all of her teeth, which – like the rest of her –were pearl white, and perfectly straight. It made me feel a little cautious, like she was a predator and I was her prey.

"Edward wants to see you as soon as possible, so lets get going."

She walked over to me and grabbed my arm. She began pulling me towards my office door, but I didn't move. I was too confused to move. What did this little pixie mean my 'new, soon-to-be husband'? I wasn't getting married, nor was I planning on it any time soon. In truth, I didn't even want to get married. I mean, it wasn't anywhere in the plans that I had made when I was younger.

Alice didn't seem to notice my inner struggle as she gave me another tug. I still didn't move, though I did start to focus a bit more on my surroundings and not the thoughts in my head when I heard her growl under her breath. She let go of my arm as she turned back towards the door.

"Pug?" she said in a clear voice towards the door. My eyes snapped from her figure to the big, tall man that walked into the room. I felt my mouth drip at the rather cold expression on his face.

"Bella here won't move. Can you pick her up, please?" Alice asked, tilting her head in a way that I would have considered sweet if she hadn't been asking Mr. Cold-Giant to help kidnap me. I bit my lip as I realized that I wasn't really being given a choice in the matter at hand. Alice was determined to get me to her brother, this Edward guy.

The man, Pug, moved towards me after nodding to Alice.

"Whoa there, Pug," I quickly said, backing up once more as I held my hands up. He stopped as Alice turned back towards me, a curious expression on her face. I knew that I wouldn't be getting away from them, but I refused to make it seem as if I had no dignity by being carried by one of them to what ever they used for transportation.

"Fine, I'll go without him carrying me," I said, forcing the words from my suddenly dry throat. For some odd reason, my words made Alice happy enough to squeal.

"Yeah! We're going to have so much fun together! We'll go shopping, to clubs, have sleepovers! Of course, that's only if Edward lets up, but I'm sure that…" she kept on going, bouncing in place. My eyes were wide as I looked at her, surprised by her sudden mood change.

We walked out of my office as she continued talking, Pug following behind us as if to make sure that I wouldn't run off. One more guy joined us as we hit near the elevator, another guy that looked like he could be pugs twin, only with darker colored skin rather than pale skin.

Once we were on the ground floor of the building, the new guy, who Alice had called Joe, led the way to a black, non-descript Caravan. Pushing me to the very back, Alice sat down in the seat in front of me while Pug and Joe got into the front seat.

Handing me a pillow and blanket, Alice said, "You might want to take a nap or something. It's going to be a long ride." She turned to face forward, pulling an I-pod out from a pocket, and plugging in a pair of ear phones. I sighed, and laid down in the seat, not even bothering with a seat belt.

Putting the pillow under my head, and the blanket on me, I laid there as the car started moving. Sighing as I felt us starting to pick up speed, I resisted the urge to look out the window as I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I decided that I wouldn't really get any answers at that moment, seeing as Alice was rather tight-lipped about most things, and decided to take her advice. I closed my eyes, and was out within minutes.

* * *

I was awoken by Alice's high-pitched voice, which made me remember that everything that had happened was not a dream like I had wished It to be.

"Bella, where here! Come on, wake up! You can sleep with Edward! Wake up!"

She started shaking me, increasing in speed and roughness when I still didn't get up. I groaned in displeasure before slowly blinking my eyes. The little pixie was crouched over me, her face inches from my own.

"Okay, I'm up," I said to her. Alice – who was looking intently at my face as she shook me – smiled upon seeing my open eyes, and stopped shaking me.

"I know, now lets go," she said, getting out of the car. I grumbled a bit as I followed her.

"Here's your new home, Bella," Alice said. I looked up, blinking a few times to focus my eyes before I felt my mouth drop. 'My new home' was apparently not a house, but a mansion, a big white one. It was huge; I think it would be bigger than the white house if you compared them side by side. This was were I was expected to live. If I was actually planning on going through with this marriage, I could easily get used to it…in a few years.

"Come on, Bella! Edward is waiting!" Alice said. I snapped my mouth closed again at the sound of her voice. I suddenly felt very nervous. Of course, I figured that had a good reason to be. After all, I know that the man said he was 'the most powerful man in the world', but saying and seeing is something extremely different, and – just by his house alone – I could tell that he was indeed powerful…maybe not the most powerful man in the world, but powerful.

"Bella, come on," I heard Alice whine. I snapped out of my thought to discover that Alice was near the door, looking at me with an impatient look on her face. I blinked a few times before I began walking over to her, going up the marble steps that led to a huge dark wood door. It had silver handles in the middle, telling me that it was most likely a double door opening. Both of the doors had old-fashion knockers in the shape of lions that were at eye level. I was tempted to touch one of them, just to see if they were decoration, or if they really worked.

However, before I could, the door that Alice was standing in front of opened. A man appeared, standing next to the door. He was an older man, with a wrinkled face and white hair. He was about two inches shorter than me, but an inch taller than Alice. He had a kind smile on his face as he greeted the both of us.

"Ms. Cullen, welcome back. Ms. Swan, welcome to your new home. We've been expecting you," he said. I tensed lightly at that. I wondered just how many people knew about me, and how many of them had been watching me as well. It was a rather discerning thing to discover that you had been stalked, even more so when your told that your supposed to marry the person who had you stalked.

Alice grabbed my arm as she said, "Thank you, Henry."

She led me inside, and fought to keep my mouth from dropping again. The entrance hallway was huge, and beautifully decorated. There was also a grand staircase in front of me that led who knows where. I could see doorways behind the staircase, and along both walls.

Alice led us into what I believed was the parlor. I knew that I was unsuccessful in keeping my mouth shut as I felt it drop open yet again. I could also feel my eyes widening as I took the room in. It was one of the biggest rooms that I had ever seen. I was positive that my whole house could fit in it, twice if I was truthful.

I looked around, admiring the art on the wall. Soon, however, my eyes came to realize that another person was in the room with us. It was another man. I focused on him and took in his features.

_Fucking hell, there's a god living on Earth_ were my first thoughts as my eyes took in his bronze hair, pale skin. And vivid green eyes. He was tall, about 6'5, and muscular, though not overly so. He had a confident aura around him, and – when he caught sight of me – his full, sensual-looking mouth curved up into a lopsided smile, making my heart skip a few beats.

I stood there, wondering who this god was when he spoke, his voice musical yet sounding like velvet.

"Hello, Isabella. I'm Edward Cullen, your soon-to-be husband."

It took several seconds for those words to compute through my brain, as he had turned it into mush when he had smiled, but it immediately returned to normal as I felt like I had been doused in ice water.

* * *

**Chapter Three – Edward**

* * *

_Isabella Swan Point of View_

* * *

Many emotions were running through me as my mind repeated the words that he had spoken. My mind was at war within itself. My rational side versus my irrational side; also know as my head against my body or reason against lust. The argument going on inside my head was very simple.

Irrational/body/lust side was thinking _He's a god, he's hot, he's my soon to be husband, we'll do the naked tango soon._

However, rational/brain/reason were thinking along completely different lines – _Snap out of it, Bella! He kidnapped you! He's forcing you to marry him! You should me mad! Angry in fact _– and Bella was in more agreement with them than the other side.

_I should definitely be- _ she started, only to be interrupted.

"Isabella?" The god – _man, he's only a man _– spoke again, bringing me from my thoughts. I bit my lip before I decided that I should respond.

"Hmm…Nice to meet you, but please call me Bella," I said. I silently groaned as I realized that it wasn't what I really wanted to say. It was just the first thing that came to my mind, especially since I was always telling others that as well. I resisted the urge to hit myself upside the head.

"Okay, Bella, let me show you to _our_ room," he said, unaware of my mental groaning. He took my hand to lead me. When his hand touched my, I jumped a bit as I felt an electrical shock go through me. _That was weird_ I thought before turning back to the hand holding my. Despite being a guy, his hand was very soft, as if he moisturized them daily. It was also huge compared to mine, engulfing my small hand completely in his grip.

He led me to the stairs, going up until he was at the top of it. Leading me down a long, decorated hallway, I found myself paying attention to the pictures that were on the walls. Trees, flowers, rivers, birds, and baby deer playing in a stream were just some of the many pictures that I saw. There were all so beautiful, but I wondered why they were all pictures of something that was apart of nature.

I didn't realized that I had been caught looking at them until I heard Edward say, "Do you like them? Esme loves nature."

I wondered who this 'Esme' person was. I figured that I would ask him later, if I had the chance. I went back to looking at the pictures until I saw one that was kind of different compared to the others, and felt myself stop in front of it. Edward noticed me stop and came to stand next to me as I admired a painting that had a single flower on it.

It was just like all the other paintings along the hallway – something of nature – but there was something different about it. It looked like it had been painted by someone younger, around the age of six or seven. Yet, it was still beautiful to look at, and it did fit well with the other pictures on the wall.

"This is my little sister's painting," Edward said next to my ear. I turned to look at him, furrowing my brow as I asked, "Alice?"

I was unsure if he had any other sisters, so I went with the one that I knew he had. Edward shook his head.

"No, it wasn't Alice. This was painted my little sister Dianna," he answered. I nodded and asked, "When will I meet her?"

A sad smile covered his face at my question.

"As much as I would love for you to meet her, you can't. She died when she was six. It happened a few months after she had painted this, in fact," he said. His voice held no emotion to it as he told me, but I saw a deep sadness in his eyes that caused my heart to break.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I was trying hard not to cry, but I could feel a few of them make there way down my face. I felt his hands come up to wipe them away.

"No, don't cry. It's okay, I mean…" he started. He paused, as if trying to find the right words to say. It seemed he could figure out what to say as he sighed.

"Never mind. We'll talk later."

He started walking again, showing me that he wanted the subject to be dropped. I obliged his silent request, and followed him once more.

Finally, we came to a double door situated at the end of the hall. It had writing spanned across it, two words, one on each door. I read them, my eyes widening in surprise as I did.

_Welcome Isabella_. I furrowed my brow yet again as I wondered how he had known my name – something, which I now realized, I should have questioned the minute I had gotten the e-mail. I think shock might have been the reason why I hadn't.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to ask how as Edward opened the doors, and gestured me inside Biting my lip, I walked inside, only to stop short and stare. The room was…big. This room itself was bigger than my apartment. The walls were dark blue, the floor was wood, and I could see that there were four other doors in the room.

One of them was a pair of French doors that were right across from the doors that we had entered from, two were to the right of us, and the fourth was opposite of that one.

There was a Californian King-size bed in the middle of the room. It had a canopy on it with black curtains surrounding it. The curtains were open. To the wall to the left were dressers, two of them, that sat on either side of the door, framing it. On the wall to the right, there was a full body mirror, and pictures decorating it. The mirror was situated between the two doors, as were several pictures on either side of it.

I bit my lip as I gazed at the bed before I giving into the urge that I had. I ran towards it and jumped on it, squealing at how soft and comfortable the bed felt as I laid on it. I buried my face in one of the pillows, rubbing my cheek against the satin with my eyes closed before I stopped and looked up.

My eyes found the French doors, and, without hesitation, I ran to them and opened them up to discover a balcony that had an incredible view. My eyes took in the large garden and forest that I could see, along with a huge pool that was situated in the middle of the yard. There was a spiral staircase that led straight down to the ground. I figured that this was his backyard.

I walked back into the room and over to the doors on the right. Opening the first one that I came to, I felt my eyes widen as I took in the huge walk in closet. It was like a small room, with clothes hanging everywhere, as well as built-in shelves full of shoes along the walls. There was an island in the middle of the room, one with small drawers built in as well as a computer on it. I couldn't help but walk around, taking it in as I noticed that there was quite a selection of women clothes and shoes. I wondered if they were supposed to be mine.

I walked out of the room, feeling surprised, and went straight to the other door, opening it to discover a master bathroom. It had a long counter against the wall that held the closet as well as a separate room for the toilet. There was a huge Jacuzzi tub with jets that looked big enough to hold to people comfortable, and a separate shower next to it. I walked over to the shower, which was like a mini room itself. It had a built in seat and shelves, and several shower heads – one that was in the ceiling, and two that were on the sides – and was big enough to hold at least three people.

After my inspection of that room – I had a feeling that I was going to love that tub – I walked over to the final door that I had yet to go through. Opening it, I found that the room was pitch black, so I reached out my hand and found a light switch. Turning it on, I felt my eyes go wide before a smile crossed my face. It was a library, a miniature one, but a library still. There was a desk next to the door, a window with a window seat that had the curtains drawn, and a cozy little area that held a chaise lounge with a side table that was next to a fireplace. The walls were dark blue, just like the bedroom, and the floor was wood but covering in a huge rug.

However, what held my attention the most was the bookshelf that covered an entire wall. It was filled with what seemed like thousands of books. I felt my eyes pop out as I walked over to them, entranced.

"Having fun?" Edward called from the door. I turned to discover that he had a big smile on his face. Blushing, I turned back to the bookcase, and continued to walk over to study the books.

"This is just a private library. There is another one on the first and second floor," he said, but his voice faded as I began to read the titles of the books there. My eyes widened as I saw that most of the books were my favorites. If it wasn't a favorite by book, then it was a book by an author that I had favored but hadn't read, and new ones that I had been dying to read.

"These are all my favorites. How did you know?" I asked, turning around to face him. He stepped closer to me.

"I know all about you, Bella," he said. Smiling a crooked grin at me – one that made me feel like melting – he continued.

"You're going to be my wife, after all."

That single sentence caused everything to come crashing down on me as I remembered that he had technically kidnapped me and told me that he was now my fiancé. I mean, he was hot. Any girl would be glad to be in my position, but I didn't want to marry someone who was basically forcing me. If I had a plan to get married, I would rather like to have known the guy for several years, and – no matter how hot Edward was – I didn't know him, at all, and what I did know of him was not only enough, but wasn't good at all.

"Edward, look. I'm sorry, but I don't want to marry you. I want to go back home. Sorry, but I want to marry someone I love, and I don't love you. Hell, I don't even know you," I said. Biting my lip as I looked down, and took a deep breath, not wanting to start yelling at him.

"Can I please go home? You can find someone better than me, someone who wants to be with you," I said, hoping that he would let me go. I looked back up to him, and wished that I hadn't, for the gorgeous smile that had been on his face was no longer there. Instead, there was a dark look on his face, one that seemed like it could end the world. His green eyes got darker, almost a black color. A shiver went down my spine. The look on his face scared me.

He stepped forward, grabbing me by my arms as he yanked me towards his face. A small cry of shock left me as I was forced into him, his body touching mine. He glared at me as I stared in his eyes, my own showing fear.

"Listen to me, and listen well, Isabella. You WILL marry me, and you WILL love me. This is your home now, and you are going to be my wife, whether you like it or not!" He said, his voice firm. His grip on my arms tightened to a painful point.

"You are going to listen to me. You're going to do what I ask and be respectful. If you wish to do otherwise, you will be punished. Do I make myself clear?" he asked. My head swirled around the word 'punished', and I felt my eyes water up involuntarily. Several tears fell down my face as I nodded my head, unable to do more than that.

_What happened to the angel I saw a few minutes ago_ I thought. Edward plain out scared me now. I had never been yelled at like that before, having always been the good kid that everyone ended up liking. Not even my parents had ever yelled at me like that. Yet, here he was, doing just that. I felt like I was a child again.

"Good," was all I heard from Edward as he let me go, and left the room. I heard the bedroom doors slam shut from where I was at, unable to move as tears streamed down my face faster than they were going before.

_Why me_ I thought as my legs gave out, and I began sobbing.

* * *

**Chapter Four – Exploring**

* * *

How long I laid there on the floor was unknown to me, but I felt extremely tired by the time I stopped crying. Thinking to take a nap, I made my way to the bed, shutting off the light in the library as I left that room. I crawled into the bed, sighing as I felt immediate relief on my body from the softness of the mattress.

However, even though I had laid down and closed my eyes, I couldn't seem to shut off my thoughts long enough to get to sleep. They swirled around and around in my head, reminding of everything that had happened since I had opened that unknown e-mail.

I frowned as I thought about the e-mail, wishing that I had deleted it when I had the chance. Maybe then none of the things that led me to be trapped here would have happened. However, small part of me told me that it just might of, but I squashed that part down.

Instead, I thought about how I might get away from this place. So far, I knew that the only way that I might be able to get out unnoticed was using the balcony, But I didn't know if it would be as easy as it looked. For all I knew, there were cameras around the pool area and windows that anyone could see through. I would have to get to know the house before I could get away from it.

That was when I decided to do just that. Hopping out of the bed, I walked over to the doors, slowly opening one of them and peeking my head out. There was no one there, so I walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind me. I didn't want anyone to realized that I was leaving the room, though I briefly wondered if someone could already tell that I had; there could easily be cameras in this hallway.

I walked around, know noticing that there were other doors on the floor that I hadn't before. Curiosity got me as I opened them to discover a study, bathroom, and guest room. The other two rooms were empty of everything, unused.

I made my way to the stairs. Looking down, I slowly made my way to the next floor, the third one. Like the previous floor, painting decorated the walls, only these paintings were in black and white, and of people and automobiles. I noticed that all of the people in the pictures were wearing clothes that were mostly popular in the early nineteen hundreds. It was the same with the automobiles.

Walking down this hallway, I once again peeked my head into each of the rooms, eyes widening as I realized that this was the guest floor; it had to be due to the amount of guest rooms and bathrooms that I saw. Every room was decorated the same, nothing special to them. I counted each of them, coming up with at least eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

All where unlived in, though they did have the necessities to be lived in. All the bedrooms had a dresser, desk, and bed, while the bathrooms came stocked with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and toilet paper.

Walking back to the stairs, I quickly hid behind a pillar when I saw someone coming up them. I waited until I heard the footsteps disappear before I walked over to the stairs, and moved downward to the next floor. Like the floor above, this one also had several guest rooms, though not as many, and, in the same place that the room that I was placed in before, was a library.

It was a huge library, bigger than the one connected to the bedroom, taking up two floors. I could see that the second floor had a stairway that allowed a person to go between them without having to leave the room. I bit my lip, looking around to see if there was anyone else in the room. A silent sigh escaped me before I began looking around, seeing what books were on these shelves.

I found a lot of non-fiction ones on just about everything, from medical and gardening to serial killers and unsolved mysteries. I felt my eyes furrow over those ones, wondering why he had them. My mind flashed over several different scenarios, each one more horrid then the last until I finally stopped thing about it as I moved away from that section.

I used the stairs that were in this room to go down to the first floor instead of leaving and using the main staircase. As I went down, I looked at the books that lined the staircase, finding quite a few fiction ones that looked as if they would be good. Upon getting to the bottom, I continued to look at all the books, a small smile crossing my face as I realized that there was no specific audience for the books. It looked as if whoever had created this library didn't have a specific audience in mind.

I looked around the rest of the room, my eyes widening as I saw the sitting area in the middle of the room. There was a long couch, three comfortable looking chairs, and a chaise lounge all surrounding two tables. One was a dark wood coffee table, set right in front of the couch. The other was a circular frosted glass table that was set on white painted iron legs. It almost looked like a table that could be found at a café. It was set in front of the chaise lounge. A rug covered the floor as well, a circular one with Celtic symbols on it.

Walking over to the doors, I opened one of them, peeking my head out to find the hallway empty; at least, on this side of the stairs, which I could see in front of me. There was a door to my right and two to my left, as well as hallways on both sides. I could hear people talking from somewhere on this floor, though I didn't know where they were coming from.

Taking a deep breath as I prayed that I didn't run into anyone, I went to the first door on my left. Opening it up as carefully as possible, I found myself in the kitchen, the smell of food in the air. My stomach grumbled a bit, telling me that I needed to feed it, but I ignored it in favor of continuing my exploring.

The kitchen was one of the biggest and most equipped kitchen that I had ever seen, though it wasn't anything really special. It had counters along all of the walls, and two islands. There were two other doorways, one that led to the next room, and one with a sign saying 'Servant Quarters' above it. I figured that it was were the servants slept.

I quickly closed the door when I saw the food that was in there, and felt my stomach growl again. While I was tempted to steal something – there had been quite a few cookies on the counter in easy reach – there had been people in there, and I didn't want anyone to notice me. I don't thing anyone did.

I went to the door next to it, though I already had an idea on which room this one was. I was right as I saw the long table surrounded with chairs. There was a china cabinet on one wall, and high windows on the other, as well as a counter where you would set food so you didn't crowd the table. At least, that's what I figured it was for. To me, it was a way of reaching the windows to climb out. Another doorway – besides the one that led to the kitchen – was on the wall leading into the next room.

Yes, I will admit that, while I was slightly curious about the house, I was looking around mostly to place where I could escape from. I figured that it would be better for me to know where I could leave without notice; at least, that's what I hoped for.

Like with the kitchen – and most of the rooms – I didn't enter. Instead, I left, and went to go to the next room on this side of the house when I saw that the guy who had opened the door when I first got here – Henry, if I remember correctly – was still standing there talking to someone.

I slinked back into the shadows, heading backwards towards the library doors before I remembered that there was a door to the right. I headed towards it, and briefly saw the doorway that I remembered passing when I first arrived here; the room that I was now entering was next to the parlor. Biting my lip, I slowly opened the door, peeking in the room though I had heard nothing to give any indication that there was anyone in here.

I blinked when I realized that I saw that it was a music room. There was a piano, cello, acoustic guitar, and several other instruments in there, including a violin. I couldn't help entering it fully, softly closing the door behind myself. I walked over to each instrument, softly touching them before I was standing in front of the violin.

Back in high school, I had played the violin, having enjoyed the beautiful sound that it could make, especially when it was paired with a piano. It helped me out that I could play it rather well, and one of the few people that I had gotten along with during high school, Angela Webber, was rather helpful when it came to having a piano accompany me.

I wondered if I could still play. It had been a while, as I had to quit playing when I had entered college, too busy trying to earn my bachelors – and then my masters – in journalism. It had just gotten so hectic that I didn't have any time for a band class.

Picking it and the bow up, I began to playing it, stopping every few seconds to tune it so that the sound was perfect. Soon, I was playing a score that I had memorized back when I was in high school, the notes coming into my head as I played them on the violin as if I had never stopped playing it. So into the music I didn't notice that someone had come into the room until I heard a piano begin to play.

Stopping myself abruptly, I turned, my heart pounding against my chest as I saw who it was that had suddenly began accompanying me. I found Edward sitting at the piano bench, his hands still playing the score that I had been playing. Biting my lips as I saw that he wasn't stopping, and looking at me, I picked up the score.

Together, we played until the song came to an end, and the trance that I had seemed to have fallen into seemed to break. I set the bow and violin down before turning to leave the room. I honestly didn't want to be anywhere near him at the moment. My mind kept flashing back to what had happened back in the mini library, and the fact that he was holding me hostage.

I just wasn't ready for another confrontation, as I knew I wouldn't be able to hold in my temper, for anger was what was beginning to take over. Despite the fact that he frightened me, I just couldn't act like a weak woman, despite the fact that he seemed to be able to bring such a reaction out of me.

However, I knew that if I yelled at him, he wouldn't hesitate to strike back, which struck fear into me. The combination of fear and anger was interesting, but totally unwelcome, as it left me with an unpleasant feeling. Just like before, it felt two sides of myself was at war with no end.

I didn't like how he could cause such a reaction from me, for the fact that, despite my anger, he made me feel weak and sent my reactions and feelings haywire. I didn't want to act or be a weak woman, as I had been taught better than that.

Heading back up to the third floor, I wondered what was going on with my job. I knew that people had seen me leave, but I wondered exactly what they were thinking. I knew that I couldn't exactly say that I was kidnapped; I had walked out of my own free will. I realized that it might have been in my best interest if I had, but – at the time – I couldn't help but think more about my pride of how I was exiting rather than the fact that I was being told to.

I barely realized that I was in the bedroom, suddenly tired for some odd reason. Closing the doors behind me, I shimmied out of my skirt. Pulling off my jacket and blouse, I neatly placed them on a small table next to the foot of the bed. I was glad that I had decided to wear a camisole, even more so that it was extra long. While a bit loose on me, it went down to cover my boy short panties.

Now clad in something that I could easily substitute for sleep wear, I turned off the light and went to bed. My last thought before I gave into the world of dreams was the fact that I had to get out of here, and I decided that I would try to escape tomorrow night.

* * *

**Chapter Five – Escape Attempt # 1**

* * *

I awoke the next day to the sound of a storm. Groggy, I slowly sat up, my body not wanting to work as it was still demanding rest. However, my mind was another thing, trying to figure everything out. I was having a hard time getting up, my bed too soft to inspire me to want to leave.

Loosing the battle, I slumped back into the bed, allowing the silky sheets to caccon around me.

Once again, my mind sent out an alarm. Since when were my sheets silky? They were usually coarse, the years having been unkind to them. I felt the sheets with my fingers again, thinking that they would have changed. They still felt as smooth and silky as before.

Forcing myself to wake up this time, I opened my eyes, looking around me as I tried to figure out where I was at. I could tell now that the bed was definitely not mine, as well as the room that I was in. Confused as to how I got here – and a little bit scared – I racked my brain trying to think as to how I had gotten into this room and comfy bed.

Luckily for me, it only took a few seconds before I remembered everything that had happened yesterday. Wide awake now, I sat back up, rubbing my eyes as I did so. Looking around me, I discovered the original source of my waking up was the fact that I had left the balcony doors open. The storm that raged outside was pouring into the room slightly, the sound unmuffled.

I got out of the bed, shivering in the cold air as I hurried towards the French doors, shutting them before I walked over to the bathroom, feeling nature's call. While in the bathroom, I took a look at my reflection, groaning at how horrible I looked. My hair was a wild mess and I had bags under my eyes, despite how well I had slept.

Turning on the cold water, I splashed my face, using the coldness to deswell the bags under my eyes. Once I had splashed my face a few times, I grabbed the towel that I spied to my right, and dried my face. Looking into the mirror once more, I was glad to find that I looked much better than I had.

Happier now that my face looked better, I then tried to detangle my hair using the brush that I had found sitting on the counter. It took me awhile before the rat's next that was my hair was finally tamed. Sighing, I walked out of the room, looking longingly at the shower that I wished to use. However, I didn't because I was just going to have to put on my dirtly clothes again, so there was no point in trying to get cleaned.

I walked out of the room, only to pause as I saw Edward was now in the bedroom. Eyes widening slightly, I pursed my lips as I was what he was doing. It was very easy for me to recognized the garments that he in his hands as he brought them over to me. He held them out to me, causing me to look at him as if he was crazy. _He isn't seriously picking out undergarments for me, is he_ I thought, immediately dismissing it. He wasn't that insane as to think I couldn't choose my own things.

"Here, these are for you."

Then again, he was crazy enough to think that I would marry him just by demanding it, so he obviously had a few screws loose in his head.

"Your joking, right?" I said. "What makes you think you can tell me what I am to wear, in any regards? Also, even if I were to accept these from you, they wouldn't fit. You do not know my size in anything."

A flash of anger crossed his face as his hand shot out. A stinging pain erupted from my cheek as I felt my eyes opening wide. Slowly bringing my hand up to my cheek, I winced as I felt the now tender skin before looking back at him, a glare on my face that covered my fear. The bastard had slapped me.

"You do not talk to me like that, understand? And yes, I do expect you to wear them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen them. Also, they will fit you. There exactly your size," he said. Thrusting them back out at me, I grabbed them from him, about to say that they were not my size as I looked at the tags, but I shut my mouth as I realized that he was right.

Looking back up at him with blank eyes that did not show my inner turmoil, I thanked him before turning, planning on freaking out in the bathroom, when he stopped me once again. I stood where I was at as he moved away from me for a moment, shuffling through something before coming back towards me, his arm reaching around me as he handed something else to me as well.

I grabbed whatever it was and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Once there, I freaked out, repeatedly say "Oh my God" as I paced the floor. I couldn't believe that he had known my bra and panty size. I looked back at them, still seeing the sizes that they had said before. I continued pacing, wondering what this meant exactly.

Calming down slightly, I looked at the other thing that he had given me. It was a dress, a white one that looked like it would go all the way down to my knees with a flaired skirt and corset-like top. The sleeves had an inch wide strip of satin before becoming lace that went down to my wrist, where another inch of satin would encircle a wrist. I imagined that it would look nice on me, and set it down next to the undergarments.

Sighing once again as I realized that I ought to change into it rather than stare, I went ot take off my camisole only to stop when there was a knock on the door. Turning back around, I opened it, finding that Edward was standing there once again. He handed me one more thing, a towel.

"You can take a shower. I've already stocked it with your favorite things," he said, leaving me alone before I could question what he exactly meant. I stood still, wondering what he meant before shugging as I put the towel within easy reach of the shower door. Undressing, I walking into the shower, pausing as I saw the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash containers that were already there.

I groaned out loud as I read what scent they were. Strawberry, my favorite scent. Biting my lip, I once again wondered how he knew this as I turned on the water, jumping slightly from the coldness of it. Quickly changing the temperature until it was warmer, I began to wash myself.

* * *

Once I was all washed and dressed, I went to the miniature library the was connected to the room, unsure of where to go otherwise. It wasn't like he told me that I could go anywhere, though he didn't quite say that I couldn't, but – at the moment – I didn't feel like tempting fate.

Besides, I needed to convince him that I was staying in the room until I was positive that he didn't think otherwise. I wanted him to believe that I wasn't going to leave these rooms until I was ready, so that when I finally did, he would be none the wiser. It was crucial in my escape plan.

I already knew that he didn't mind if I left the French doors open, otherwise he would hav probably closed them when he came into the room – and I had no doubt that he hadn't come into the room while I was sleeping. I remembered that he hadn't really introduce the room as mine, and, as far as I knew, it was the biggest room in the house. There was no way he didn't mean to not share the room with me. Plus, none of the other rooms had really looked lived in.

Of course, once that thought went through my mind, I panicked a bit, wondering where he had slept last night and if he had come in here while I was sleeping. I didn't like the fact that there could have been a chance that he had slept next to me, since one, it was a creepy thought, and two, I knew that I talked in my sleep, and I was afraid of what I may have talked about.

Part of me remembered that I had been thinking about escape plans, and didn't want him to know so he wouldn't be able to stop me if I did do so. After all, if he discovered how I might be planning on leaving, it would be hard to get out.

However, that didn't stop me from thinking about going ahead with my plans. I looked outside again, and decided that I would need to be wearing something other than white. Not only that, but the I would also need something that I could move in better, and would keep me warmer than this dress would.

With that thought in mind, I walked over to the closet. I looked through what they had gotten me, frowning as I saw that almost everything was made up of skirts, dresses, and revealing tops. Biting my lip, I decided to grab a couple of the others shirts, unsure of what I would need, as well as several of the skirts. I was lucky when I saw a couple of sweaters, even luckier when they were thick and baggy.

I grabbed the three long sleeved tops that I had grabbed, both of the baggy sweaters, and two of the skirts – both of them just a little longer than the skirt of the dress I was wearing – and walked out of the closet, setting them on the bed. Walking over to the dresser, so began going through it, hoping to find something for me that would be better to wear. I had no luck, as the only thing that I could come up with were a pair of shorts that were too short to beconsidered shorts.

However, I was lucky enough to find some leg warmers as well as some arm warmers, and some socks. I took three pairs of each – the socks were super thin – and placed them next to the other stuff that I had grabbed. Then, finally, I went to grab my suit – it was a females pantsuit as I didn't care much for skirts at work – only to discover that it wasn't there, nor were my shoes. _Shit_ I thought as I realized that he must have grabbed it. I had little doubt that I would see it again, if the way he had chosen what I was to wear as any clue.

Realizing that the shoes that I would have to wear – though I hadn't seen any – would most likely be the heels that I dispised, I went back to the dresser, grabbing a few more pairs of socks before thinking about something, and moving over to the the other dresser, where I hit a jackpot. I grabbed two pairs of his socks, as well as a pair of pants that he had folded in there.

Then, I folded all the clothes together, making one big bundle, before moving it all to the mini library, where I hid it all underneath one of the desks; the one where I was planning on sitting at, and grabbed a book, prepared to read until I was able to leave; I figured that it would have to be late tonight.

* * *

It was about two – I had found a clock in this room that I had previously overlooked – in the afternoon when the door was opened. I was on the fifteenth book that I had wanted to read – a book called Tongue in Chic by Christina Dodd – and I was just about to get to the main female's reaction at meeting her grandfather, who doesn't know she exists at this time, for the first time when I heard a throat clearing.

Looking up from the novel with a frown, I glared at the intruder, though the glare immediately left my face as I saw the face of Edward. I grabbed a bookmark, stuck it were I was at, and set the book down before turning to him, though I was sorely tempted to just ignore him as I continued to read.

"Yes?" I asked, not even bothering to make my voice sound pleasant. "What do you want?"

Edward frowned at me, a dark look passing over his features for a minute before disappearing.

"I came to escort you down for food," he said, walking over ot me until he was right behind me. I felt nervous, wondering if he could see all the clothes at my feet while hoping that he couldn't. Too draw his attention away from them, I stood up and moved away from the desk, leaving the mini library as I went to the bed.

I turned back to him and glared once again.

"I am sorry, but I have to decline your invitation. If you desire me to eat, I will do it in here, alone," I said, a small smile crossing my lips in an innocent gesture. His eyes narrowed, and he moved forward, grabbing my arm in a tight grip. I couldn't help the yelp that left my mouth as he pulled me towards him. My eyes widened in pain as I felt my arm bruise under his grip.

"I said that I would escort you down to food, and that is what I shall do," he said, pulling me out of the room. I felt several tears go down my cheeks from the pain, and thought I saw something in his eyes before he turned to face forward. He pulled me all the way to a room that I had yet to see on the first floor, as it was nearer to the door where I hadn't explored.

It was right next to the dining room, and looked to be an unofficial minature dining room, for all it contained was a small table for more intimate senarios. The table had two plates on it, an – in the middle – several plates of fresh fruit, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and some other breakfast foods that had my mouth watering.

I heard my stomach growl as it pleaded me to feed it. He walked me over to the table, his grip loosening on my arm once he had deposited me into one of the two chairs. He held me for a second more, making sure that I wasn't planning on moving, but I was too focused on the food to care. My mouth was watering as I found myself hoping that he would tell me to dig in.

However, it seemed as if he once again had different plans as he took my plate and filled it himself. I found myself frowning over this action. Did he think so little of me that he felt like I couldn't choose my own food? I knew that my nose was wrinkling as he piled some sunny-side-up eggs onto the plate as well as some ketchup.

Placing the plate in front of me, I felt my appetite fall. I hated ketchup, always have been. I didn't like the taste of it. It was the same with mustard. I also didn't care much for eggs unless they were scrambled with cheese, ham, sausage, and/or bacon; I also didn't mind omelets.

However, the only things that he gave me were the two things I hated more than anything. I looked at him, wondering how he expected me to act. He was looking back at me, a look of wonder on his face as he waited for me to eat.

"I'm not eating that," I said, my voice firm. He frowned.

"Ands why is that?" he asked. I gestured towards the plate.

"One, I can choose my own food. Two, you do not seem to really know me because, if you did, you would know that I absolutely despise ketchup and most eggs," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, glaring at him. I mentally braced myself for his anger. However, it seemed as if what I had said had the opposite effect that I was expecting.

He laughed, a musical laugh that had me staring at him in shock. I couldn't believe that he found my anger funny. Frowning, I went to stand and leave, no longer feeling hungry, when my arm was once again in his grip. I was pulled back into my seat as I realized that he was no longer laughing.

"There is no reason to leave," he said, pulling the plate that he had originally handed her in front of him while he handed the empty plate that had been in front of him to her. Taking it from him, I began to make my own plate, placing some pancakes, bacon, sausage, a buttered biscuit, and fresh fruit onto it.

Throwing some butter and surup onto the pancakes, and I was ready to eat.

* * *

Eating with Edward was…interesting, to say the least. I think the fact that he hadn't known about some of the things I liked made him unhappy, because he spent the entire breakfast asking questions about some things that I usually didn't divert to others.

Knowing that there were some things he didn't know about me made me extremely happy, for that meant that he hadn't had me watched as much as I had originally thought. I knew that he had been watching me; the fact that he had a clue as to what kind of books I liked to read showed that. However, the fact that he didn't know what I preferred to eat was a small comfort, as was the fact that he didn't know the true me as well as he might have liked.

Once breakfast was finished, he allowed me to leave, thinking – or hoping – that I would take him up on his offer to do whatever I wanted outside of the room, but I just ignored that and went straight to my room. That was were I stayed as the day passed, only being bothered two times, once by Alice, who wanted to talk about wedding stuff – something that wasn't going to happen if I had a choice about it – and Edward, who escorted me to dinner.

Finally, it was night, and I walked out of the room, checking to make sure that no one could see me before I brought the clothes out and put them on; all of them. It wasn't an easy think, and – by the time I had them all on me – I wanted to take them off, but I ignored my wants, and walked over to the balcony doors, opening them up just enough so I would be able to leave without triggering an alarm. I had no idea if the house had one, but I didn't want to trigger it before I could even leave. The only thing that I wish had changed was the fact that it was still storming.

Then, I crawled into the bed, and waited until I was positive that everyone was asleep. I situated myself so I was completely covered by the covers, despite the fact that I was so hot I could feel sweat building up. I was lucky that a cool breeze from the opened door was cooling me off enough so that there was no seat showing on my face.

I laid down when I heard the door open, and I had to fight myself to not shoot out of the bed. Looking towards the door as best as I could, I saw that Edward had walked in. He ignored me, going straight towards the dresser that had held his clothes, and pulling out a pair of sleeping pants from within. He turned towards me, seeing me awake.

"I've got work to do tonight, so I won't be sleeping in here tonight," he said. "I'll see you in the morning."

He hurried away as I thought _No you won't_. Walked out the doors again, he said goodnight to me, and turned off the light, closing the door all the way behind him. The minute I was positive that he wouldn't turn around and come back, I threw off the blankets, standing up, and carefully making my way to the balcony, careful not to make any noise.

While I wasn't planning on running at that moment, I was hot, and it was cooler out here. It was also still storming, making me happy that I had pulled on as much clothes on as I could. I looked over at the clock. 9:30 pm. I sighed. I didn't know when it would be safe for me to leave, but I figured that it was still to early to do so.

Sighing, I went ot the library where I grabbed the book that I was reading. Going over to the chair that was right by the balcony, I began to read. Luckily for me, I had chosen a long book – It by Stephen King – So, by the time I was three-fourths of the way through it, it was 11:30. Bookmarking my place, I tempted with the thought of bringing it with me to read once I got home, but dismissed it immediately. It had been bought by Edward, and it technically belonged to him. I didn't want any reminders of him once I was free.

Walking over to where I had seen shoes at, I slipped on a pair of his because, with as many pairs of socks I had put on, there was no way my shoes would fit my feet. His shoes barely did at this point. Sighing , I carefully wade my way outside, carefully closing the doors behind me as I walked down the stairs.

Being careful not to make a sound, I walked straight through the garden up reaching the bottom floor. Making my way through the little paths in the ground, making sure not to disturb the any of the flowers around. The rain was cold as it started to soak my clothes. Luckily, it was only the first layer and my hair.

I was just reaching the treeline when I heard something that I wasn't expecting.

* * *

**Chapter Six – Caught**

* * *

A loud siren sound had pierced the air, and I turned back for a moment to discover exactly why the sound had started. I vaguely noted that I was right to leave the balcony doors open before as I saw Edward looking down at me where I had just come from. Even as far away as I was, I could still see the look of surprise on his face, though the rain had blured it a bit.

Then, anger twisted in, unfreezing me enough that I felt like I was able to move once again, and I ran straight into the woods. I found that I should have waited for a bit before I left, for I had no idea where I was going. I tripped several times, getting the legs of the pants that I had put on, as well as the volumous skirts dirty. I could also feel the water from the rain seeping into my clothes.

I stopped for a second to take a breather, my lungs feeling as if they were about to burst, when I heard a sound that I had been hoping that I wouldn't; the shouts of several men, as well as Edward's voice. I could tell that they were looking for me; the screams of my name were a big clue.

I forced myself to continue, trying to put distance between me and whoever it was that was following. However, despite my earlier strength, it seemed to have deserted me, for I could hear the people who were following getting closer to me as I lost speed. Finally, I found a tree with big enough roots to hide, and I huddled down as quietly as I could.

I did my best to control my breathing and shivering, for I was beginning to feel cold; the clothes were not only soaking up the water that had fell from the sky, but also the sweat that had began to form along my body. I was positive that I would end up sick later.

I heard them get closer, and waited for them to pass, though I was disappointed when they stopped as well. I could hear everything they were saying now, they were pretty close to me without being _close_.

"Where do you think she went?" I heard one voice say.

"I don't know, let look around here," another said. I bit my lip, knowing that I had to get them to believe I was further away. Carefully groping around with my hand, I skimmed the ground around me until I found a nice sized rock. Lifting it, I carefully looked behind me to see how far off they were before I threw it will all my strength. When I threw it, it was towards the right of me, but slightly in front of me as well; I could see it as it flew before it disappeared out of my sight. I heard it thunk in the distance.

I listened as the others ran off before I carefully stood up. Having caught my breath, I figured that it would be best it I went towards my left. Stepping silently in that direction, I put my eyes towards the ground to keep from making more noise than I needed to as I walked.

I had just made it past where I could hear any of the men when I turned to look behind me…and promptly ran into someone. I gasped as I tried to back away, only to be held in place by hands that were like steel manacles on my arms. I looked upwards, dreading who I would see, but somehow knowing who it was.

My eyes came to clash with those of darken green. I swallowed hard as I took in the twisted, angered face of Edward right before he pulled me forward where he could clasp his hands around me as he held me tightly to his chest, my own arms trapped to my sides.

One would have thought he was just hugging me from the way it probably looked, though I knew that he wasn't, for the move had restrained me quite a bit. I was breathing hard, though I wasn't winded; instead, I was slightly scared, for I hadn't figured that I would be caught during my escape attempted, and something told me that I wouldn't be liking what was going to come next.

I felt his chest rumble as he said something, though the roaring of my blood blocked my ears from hearing what he said. Everything seemed blocked at the moment; it took all my effort to get air to my lungs as I struggled to understand how he had known that I was still were I was at.

Had he seen me lift my arm? Had he just guessed? Those questions and more went through my mind until I was pulled in the direction where I had just come from. I didn't bother trying to fight; I already knew that I didn't really have a chance to escape from his firm hold, and, even if I did, the others sounded as if they were still nearby, and would no doubt grab me if I tried to run off again.

The walk back to the mansion seemed to take no time at all, and I wondered exactly how far I had really gotten; I could have sworned that I had gotten farther than it seemed. However, it seemed that I was wrong, for I was being shown back into the house faster than I thought possible.

I was finally let go enough that I was no longer pressed into his chest and able to see all who were around us. I only recognized to out of the five men; Pug and Joe were there. The other three were unrecognizable to me. Two of them were blonde while the third had dark brown hair. One of the blondes had long hair, which was in a ponytail, while the other blond had shorter hair, which was kind of shaggy looking. The dark haired guy looked the strongest out of all of them,even stronger than Pug.

I turned back to Edward, wondering what I was going to see on his face. Would I see rage, or anger? Would I see fear, or something else entirely? I think, out of everything I imagined, I would have preferred it to what I really saw on his face, which was nothing. His face was an impenetrable mask.

I didn't realize that they were talking until I had seen Edwards lips move before he was once again moving me towards the stairs. At first, I thought he was going to go passed them, heading into the kitchen or library, but – to my surprise – he continued to walk up them, heading straight for the room where I was supposed to be sleeping.

I swallowed, hard, as he finally let me go, closing the doors behind us. I quickly ran for the balcony doors, hoping that I could really get away this time only to realize that they were locked. I looked at the key hole, realizing that it wasn't a normal kind of lock, and turned around.

He was still by the entrance doors, only this time, he was looking at me, arms crossed over his chest. I could see something glittering in his right hand, and figured that it was the key that was needed. I looked up at him, wondering what he was waiting for. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like whatever it was that he had done; but, then again, I didn't like anything that was going on at the moment, so the feeling wasn't new.

I stood there, still wearing everything, dripping water onto the ground by those doors as I waited for him to say something. It took a few minutes before he did.

"Did you really think I would forget to lock them this time?" he asked, walking over to me. "I knew that you would do something like this, but I foolishly thought that I would be able to trust you some, at least enough for you not to take advantage of my kindness."

He stood in front of me, bringing his hand to my cheek.

"But, I can see that I was mistaken in giving you so much freedom," he continued. I looked at him confused. Exactly what was he talking about? What freedom? I doubted he would have let me go, and that was the only kind of freedom that I wanted. However, a more practical part of me told me that this supposed 'freedom' he had apparently given me had todo with the fact that I had been able to explore and actually have the balcony doors openable when he wasn't there. I ignored that side of me.

He walked away from me, walking over to the dresser that held nightgowns that I would never wear in a million years. I watched as he pulled out one of them, walking over to me. Holding out to me, I found myself shaking my head in denial at him. He just sighed, placing it over a chair before walking back to me.

Reaching for the bottom of the sweater I wore, he started to pull it off of me until I stopped him.

"What do you think you are doing?" I asked, surprised at his action. I didn't think of him as the type to start to do something like that, but then, I didn't know him at all.

"Taking off those wet clothes," he said, reaching for the bottom of the sweater again only for me to stop him.

"I'm not going to wear that _thing_ you pulled out," I said, glaring at him. However, unlike before – at breakfast, when I told him that I wasn't going to eat what he had put onto the plate for me – he wasn't amused by my words. My head snapped to the side, my cheek throbbing, and it took me a second to realize that he had just _slapped_ me. Again.

While in my daze, he took advantage, stripping me of the several sweaters and shirts that I had thrown on. I was down to the actual shirt part of the dress when I realized what he was doing. I stepped back from him; well, tried to anyways. My progress was stopped by the balcony doors, the glass cold against my skin.

"I'm not going to allow you to even come close to seeing my body," I hissed, covering my upper body with my arms. His eyes narrowed once again, and he stepped forward, closing the distance between us. I thought he was goin to slap me again, but he didn't. Instead, he opened his mouth, about to say something when he seemed to notice something.

I was unaware that I was shivering until he sighed, grabbing my arm and picking me up bridal style. He walked over to the bathroom door, opening it and turning on he light before grabbing one of the folded towels next to the shower. Unfolding it, he quickly came towards me.

However, I honestly didn't know what his intent was, and backed up until he said, "You need to dry off, Isabella. I won't have you getting sick on me."

I couldn't help but stare at him. I also wasn't expecting him to seemingly care about whether or not I got sick. I was very…confused. One would think that he wouldn't care if I did, as it would save him the trouble of keeping me from trying to escape again, yet he seemed as if it would be a horrible thing if I did get sick.

Unable to stand his confusing action, I grabbed the towel from him, turning until my back was to him as I wrapped it around my shoulders, and held it with one hand while the other undid the hooks of the corset. I bit my lip. I knew that I should be using both hands to do this, but there was no way he was going to get a free show; the mirror was in front of me, and I could see the interested look on his face, as if he was waiting for me to get rid of my stubbornness.

It seemed as if, though, that he wasn't going to wait, for I heard him huff for a moment before I felt the towel around my shoulders being grabbed. I let out a shriek, surprised by the action, as I turned around, ready to deliver a slap of my own. However, I wasn't able to as he grabbed my and, and forced it down before undoing the clasps of the corset in a very efficient manner.

In an effort to keep him from seeing me wearing my bra – the only way I would be able to protect my modesty, something that I felt like I desperately needed to do – I quickly brought the towel that was still in my one hand up, blocking the view of my chest. I almost expected him to say something, but he turned me around, yanking the dress down my arms. It was rather hard work, and – though I would never think about telling him this – I was glad that I had help.

The rain, which had soaked me within minutes of leaving, had managed to get all the way down to the dress as well, and the material was practically sticking to my skin, almost refusing to let me go. Something told me that the dress was ruined, which saddened me a bit. I had liked the dress.

Once we had gotten the top part off, the rest was rather easy, and I was quick in wrapping the towel around me to protect my body from him seeing it, though I didn't know how much good it did, as he seemed to have run his hands on me as if memorizing everything he could.

I didn't bother fighting him. Looking in the mirror, I had discovered several hand-shaped bruises littering my arms, and my cheek that had been slapped was a dark red. That was enough to convince me not to fight at this moment – while the hit on my cheek had hurt, I hadn't noticed that my arms were hurt until I saw them, and, if his facial expression was anything to go by, he hadn't realized it either.

It seemed that his anger was a dangerous thing – and I meant his full anger, which was what I had seen when he had caught me, when he first made the bruises – and I wasn't will to push at the moment, for I felt drained. It seemed as if seeing the bruises brought every pain in my body to my mind, as well a tidal wave of fatigue.

I was still holding the towel when he left the room, returning with a different nightgown, one that I hadn't seen in my original search, as well as some panties. Placing them on the sink, he leaned forward, and whispered for me to dress quickly before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Letting the towel fall to the ground, I was quick in pulling off the wet underclothes before grabbing a new towel, and finish dryng myself off. I was kind of surprised at the fact that the rain had been able to soak me all the way down to my undergarments, especially through all the clothes that I had on.

Once I was sure I was dry, I wrapped my hair up in the towel before pulling on the panties, as well as the nightgown. I was pleasantly surprised when the nightgown wasn't as bad as I originally thought it would be. It was actually more like an oversized, long sleeved shirt, going straight down to my knees.

I left the towel wrapped around my hair for a minute while I looked for something to use to either dry it quicker or throw it up into a bun, but didn't find either of the things that I would need. Frowning, I pulled the towel down, and towel-dried my hair to the best of my abilities.

Once I was sure that I had done just that, I dropped the towel on top of the other, unsure of where else to put it, and left the room. It seemed as if I had done that just in time, for Edward looked as if he was about to open the door himself if I had taken any longer.

I walked into the room, and towards the bed. The covers looked so inviting, but I was a bit weary. So far, with the exception of being smacked and practically undressed by him, he hadn't really done anything in a punishing sense. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was going to let me go unpunished, but I didn't believe that I would be that lucky.

Edward, who was watching my face, sighed.

"You can go to bed," he said, and I looked from the bed to him. I was surprised that he seemed to be able to guess what I wished, just as I was surprised when he said, "While I may sometimes hit you, I prefer punishments of a different kind, one that will go with what your being punished for. Plus, you are not the only one tired."

I felt my expression change, for it sounded as if he wasn't going to punish me, despite what he had just said. I mean, what other kind of punishment is there?

"Don't think you aren't going to be punished," he suddenly said, and I jumped from the dark tone of his voice. Though it was low, it seemed to seeth, settling deep within me, causing a shiver of fright to run up my spine. I looked down, biting my lip, feeling extremely small, like I was a child being chided by a parent.

I heard Edward sigh again before I felt his arms wrap around me from behind. I didn't move until I felt him push me towards the bed, and allowed him to guide me. When he let me go, I was nearer to the bed, and I automatically climbed in, moving over to the side that I had claimed as my own.

Every muscle in my body was glad that I was no laying down, and my eyes immediately grew heavy. I was borderlining on awareness and sleeping when I felt the bed move, and someone settle next to me. I immediately sat up, looking over to my right, where I saw Edward settling in.

I didn't get to say anything, when he grabbed and pulled me back down, wrapping his arms around me as he burrowed his face into my hair. My body was tense as I felt his chest against my back, and I no longer femt sleepy. Instead, I felt terrified. I knew, without a single doubt, that he was stronger than me, way stronger, and that I wouldn't be able to fight him if he did decide to do anything to me, no matter what I believed.

_This is my punishment_ I thought. While it didn't seem to be a horrible punishment, I honestly didn't want to snuggle with him, so it felt like one. Plus, it kept me awake for longer until my body finally had to shut my mind down forcefully.

It was only later that I realized that I wouldn't mind snuggling with him as a punishment when the real one came.

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Isolation**

* * *

Waking up the next day, I found myself in the bed, alone. There was a pile of clothes on the chair where I had put mine the first night I was here. A note sat right on top.

I knew that I should read what it said, but found myself unable to get out of the bed for awhile, my head feeling heavy, and I figured that I was still fatigued. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to sleep for a while longer.

Then, about half-an-hour to an hour later, I got up, instantly shivering at the cold air I hadn't realized how thin the nightgown was earlier, and rubbed my arms as I walked over to the clothes and note. I picked up the note and read it.

_Bella,_

_Sorry to leave you before you woke up, but, as much as I wished to stay, I had other things to do. The clothes underneath this note are what you are to wear today._

_I will be by later to bring you something to eat. Also, just so you know, your punishment will start today, and end when I decide to end it._

_Your Husband-to-be,_

_Edward_

The note was short and to the point, and I couldn't help but shiver at the ominous tone it seemed to carry. My eyes were drawn back to the word 'punishment', and I wondered once again what he planned on doing. From the sounds of it, he planned on making it something that would last for a while, which worried me as I remember the words he said last night.

I wondered what it was, since he said he didn't plan anything physical, but I couldn't come up with anything good enough that only required something mental. Unless…

I shook my head, knowing that he probably wouldn't do that, for there was no way he would even know about that little fact about me. Said fact being that, though I may not act like it, I hated to be left alone for long periods of time – though I would never say anything like this, I was actually happy to have been in someone's company yesterday, even if it was his.

It was the only reason why I chose to work in the office, or why I would even leave my house at least once everyday. Having grown up in a rather social setting until I moved in with my father, I was used to being surrounded by people. Plus, there was the fact that I had school everyday as well, and I made friends rather quickly, friends who practically refused to let me be alone; not that I wanted to be.

However, what this all boils down to is something that happened when I was younger, still a child in fact. It was something that I absolutely hated to think about, though, so I did my best not to.

Placing the note down, I grabbed the clothes, heading towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. I tried not to think about what he had planned for me as I washed my hair and body, relaxing underneath the spray. I quickly got dressed – a dark blue three-tier knee-length skirt and light blue short-sleeved blouse – before towel drying my hair as best as I could.

Then, I walked back into the room, discovering that the food he promised to be delivered had been delivered indeed. I looked around the room, wondering if he was there, but didn't see anyone. Shrugging to myself, I walked over ot the plate, glad to find that it was something that I would eat, and ate.

Once I was done, I waited for two hours, wondering when he was going to come get me for my punishment, before I grew bored. I walked over to the mini library, prepared to grab a book to read, only to discover that it was locked. My eyes widened of there own accord as I struggled with the knob.

Part of couldn't believe that he had locked it, and I wondered if that was what he meant when he said punishment. I could see how it could easily be that, as I loved to read, and cutting me off from them would be a cruel thing to do, but I had no way of actually knowing if it was or wasn't.

Huffing as I realized that the door wasn't going to open, I went over to the main doors, wanting to give him a piece of my mind only to discover that they were locked themselves. Anger coursed through my viens, but, unable to really do anything, I headed back to the bed, sitting down as I began to play with my hair. It only took me five seconds before I was back on my feet, and by the balcony doors. I didn't bother with the doors; I had no doubt that they were still locked.

Sighing as I saw that it was no longer raining, I looked around, seeing that, even without the rain, there was no one there. I don't know why, but not seeing anyone made it feel as if I was the only one around, though I knew that it wasn't true. While I didn't know how many people were actually here, I knew that there was really no way I was the only one.

Sighing as I was denied seeing that I wasn't alone – even if they were outside while I was inside – I walked back over to the bed, laying down once more. There really wasn't anything else I could do. The personal library he had basically installed for me was locked from me, and both doors leading out of the room were locked as well.

I was completely, and utterly trapped in this room, with no one to around to even see, much less talk to. Something told me that Edward was going to make good on his promise of how he would punish me, and I wished that I had either waited a few weeks before attempting to escape…or that I hadn't been caught in said attempt.

* * *

It has been eight days, and I have been going absolutely insane. During that entire time, it seemed as if he had somehow placed a way of knowing when I was going to be in the bathroom when it came to eating, and coming in when I was asleep to get something for him; well, I actually only suspected that last part. He probably had clothes somewhere else as well.

I knew that he wasn't sleeping in here; the bed only had the shape of my body having been in it when I woke up. Just like the first day he had locked me in the room, whenever I looked out the window, I didn't see anyone, giving the true illusion of being alone, of being isolated.

If it wasn't for the fact that a tray of food and water was delivered twice a day, I would have truly thought I was alone.

I guess, when I thought back on it, that he was right about how his punishments were more mental than physical; this was worse than anything he could have done physically to me. This reminded me too much of something that had happened so many years ago; I was slightly ashamed at the fact that I was letting it get to me so much.

I desperately pushed it out of my mind, standing up once again to walk around – something that I had been doing an awful lot lately, right up there with sleeping a lot, taking several long baths several times a day, and playing dress up with the clothes that he had gotten me; I was extremely bored.

I got out of bed, walking towards the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth before getting dressed – with how many showers and baths I have had the last few days, taking one now wasn't needed; I figured I would take one sometime today anyways. As I was dressing, I heard the door open.

I didn't bother trying to see who it was delivering my breakfast, nor did I bother trying to escape; I never made it out of the bathroom in time, or I was doing something in there that made it hard to hear when the door opened.

I waited to hear the door click close and lock, as I finished getting dressed. While I was itching to run out the bathroom just to see a glimpse of who it was, just for the sake of getting rid of the idea that I was totally alone and not surrounded by ghost – it was starting to seem like that – I had always been disappointed in the end, for whoever it was would always stay near the door and leave before I could see them.

However, after awhile, I noticed that I wasn't hearing the door closed. I walked over to the doorway of the bathroom, almost afraid to get my hopes up of seeing someone else today. I felt as if they were just waiting to see if I was taking the bait before shutting the doors without me seeing them, something that I didn't think I could handle at the moment.

My mind seemed to be fragile, like a single trick being played would cause everything that I was trying to keep out from overcoming me.

However, I didn't hear the door close like I expected, and I couldn't help the flare of hope that lit itself in my chest. Walking out of the room, I found myself looking at Edward for the first time in a week.

* * *

**Chapter Eight – Questions**

* * *

"Is it over?" I immediately asked, desperately hoping that it was. I needed out of this room. He didn't say anything, just held out a hand, letting me know that it could be, if I took it. At least, that's what it seemed to me. I didn't bother to find out if it was true; I just walked over, grabbing it with my own.

He led me out of the room, and I found myself breathing easier than I had been for the last few days, no longer locked up. I kept my hand in his as he led me down the hall and stairs, all the way to the dining room where he had led me the last time. I couldn't keep the relief at being let out off my face.

I allowed myself to bask in my freedom for several minutes before anger took it's place. While most of the anger was directed at him, some of it was directed at myself. The little bit that was directed at myself was anger at the fact that I had allowed the isolation to affect me so badly. I wish I could say that I had gotten over it, but the truth was that I had just pushed it to the back of my mind, positive that I would never have to worry about it.

Obviously, that had been the wrong assumption, as it had just been used against me; my anger stemmed from the fact that I had been so stupid to believe that I could just forget what had happened instead of dealing with it like I should have.

Which was were my anger at him came from. Due to the fact that he knew this about me and yet still used it, despite the fact that there could have been very bad consequences; the fact that I had been a bit submissive since leaving the room was a huge show of that. If he had gone all the way in making it exactly the same as before, I can tell you right now, I would have been broken and unrepairable.

He allowed me to serve myself, not even bothering to attempt to do so again. I kept it light, not grabbing to much; I wasn't extremely hungry. In fact, it felt like I had an abundant amount of energy. That was probably due to the fact that I hadn't been doing much more than pacing around a confining room.

Once done, I stood up, prepared to wonder around, looking for something to do, when my wrist was grabbed. I looked down, following that had to Edward, my eyes locking with his.

"Where do you think your going?" he asked. I shrugged, unsure, though I thought about hanging out in the kitchen, almost positive that people would be in there all day.

However, from the look in his eyes, I could tell that he already had a plan for me.

"Well, I am sorry to day, but, after what happened a week ago, I am afraid that you are not to be left alone to do whatever you want. Until I figure out who to keep you with, your going to stay with me. Understand?" he said, and I nodded, despite the fact that I didn't want to stay with him. I was just a bit afraid that he would put me back in the room, and lock me there until I agreed to his request/demand.

Sighing, I sat back down, waiting for him to finish, something that I hoped would be soon. Luckily for me, it was only a few minutes before he stood himself, pulling me up along with him. We walked up the stairs to the second floor, going to one of the rooms that I hadn't bothered exploring, figuring that it was another guest room or bathroom.

I was slightly surprised to see another study, almost like the one on the fourth floor, but a bit bigger and obviously used more, if the papers on the desk were of any consulation. A large glass window stood behind the desk, a comfy looking chair between them. Another window stood adjacent to the other, slightly framing the desk on two sides. There was also a fireplace in the room, a chaise lounge and several chairs arranged around it.

A single bookcase leaned against the wall the separated this room from the other. I noticed that the books on this one were well used, several creases in the spine and the rather decrepit look to them saying so. It was obvious that they had been read more than once, and I wondered what they were about, as I couldn't make out the titles from where I stood.

He led me over to the chaise lounge, motioning for me to sit before heading over to the desk. I wondered what he had planned when I saw him pick up a pen, and grab one of the files on his desk, ready to start working on something. I instantly knew that I was going to go bored with what he had planned, and I immediately thought of something to talk about.

"How long have you know about me?" I blurted out without thinking. I could tell that I surprised him, as he hadn't expected me to ask that, despite the fact that it was a question that I should have asked earlier. But, now that it was out, hovering in the air, I realized just how much I wanted the answer. How long has he known about me, for it was obvious that he didn't really know me as well as he seemed to act.

Ending my musings on that subject, I fixed my gaze on him, waiting for the answer. For several seconds, he stayed silent, staring at me as if he expected me to back down. He sighed when he realized that it wasn't going to happen. Leaning his head down for a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose, he set the pen down before giving me his undivided attention.

"I take it you want answers to your questions," he said, completely ignoring the one that I already asked. I fought hard not to roll my eyes as I replied with a firm yes.

"What's your first question, then?" he asked. This time, I glared at him.

"I already asked it," I replied, allowing some anger to show through at the stupidity the he seemed to be expressing. He was acting as if I hadn't already asked a question, and that was rather irritating.

"I must not have heard it," he responded, and I gripped the arm of the chair I had sat down on.

"How. Long. Have. You. Know. About. Me," I repeated, making sure to enunciate each word properly, so that there could be no confusion to what I was asking. Of course, I also did it because of my irritation, though I would deny that if I was asked.

"Awhile," he said. I sighed in exasperation, wondering why he was being so cryptic. The fact that I was becoming even more annoyed with him was at the forefront of my mind, but I didn't really care at the moment. All that I cared about was getting answers.

I bit my lip, thinking how I could get those answers that I wanted before realizing that I needed to word my questions a bit better.

"How long is 'awhile'?" I asked, looking back at him, hoping that he would actually answer, and not dodge, the question with another vague answer. I think some of that hope showed on my face, for he finally said, "Five years, give or take a few months."

I had to smile at finally getting an exact answer, but I kept it off of my face, deciding to do the math in my head. I felt my face turn a bit ashen as I said, "You've known about me since I was seventeen, possibly eighteen?"

Since I had just turn twenty-one just a bit over a month ago, my estimation sounded right, though, as an after thought, I might have been sixteen turning seventeen as well; since he didn't have an exact number of how long, it could easily be true. Either way, it didn't really look good to me.

"So, what your saying is you somehow spotted me when I was seventeen –" that seemed to be the best age to go by – "and got it into your head that I would become your wife?"

It seemed that, upon putting it that way, I had a rather nice affect on him, for he immediately – without prompting from me, surprisenly – started talking.

"No. I wasn't that prompt, otherwise we would have already been married, and would not be having this conversation," he stated, the last part sounding as if he hadn't meant for me to hear it. I could tell that he didn't like the conversation that we were indeed having. However, I was more focused on the fact that he said that we would have already been married, and felt my eyes narrow in reproach.

"No, I had just become curious about you at that point. After all, how often do you find a beautiful girl who, not only seems to be unaware of her beauty, but prefers to read a book over shopping, and spending money on things that usually end up being essentially useless."

I felt my eye brows furrow at this, wondering exactly how he was able to know that at the time. If he had known me for about five years, he would have to have at least seen me while I was either reading a book somewhere public, or shopping, for either something useful – like another book or food – or being forced to shop by friends, in which I usually complained.

In fact, thinking about it, the only time, around five years ago, that I went shopping was about two weeks before my seventeenth birthday…

"What was I doing when you saw me the first time?" I asked suddenly, almost able to put a date to the first time he saw me. For some rather odd reason, that information didn't exactly excite me as I wished it did.

"Shopping with someone who kept trying to get you to spend money on clothes that could easily be gotten somewhere else for a hell of a lot cheaper than the store you were in at the time," he answered, though I honestly didn't need him to give me that much information.

"So, you think that, if you had decided I would automatically marry you, I would have at age sixteen?" I said, before wishing I hadn't. It was just the first response that I thought of. It was also the truth. As I had figured, the first time he had seen me was two weeks before my birthday.

"I think I we've made that point several times already," he said dryly, reminding me that repeating things several times wasn't really needed. So, instead, I decided to ask another question.

"What did you do when you decided that I…interested you?" I asked, pausing for a moment to decide which would be the best wording so I would get a good answer.

"Well, naturally, I investigated you," he said. "I found out everything I could about you."

I didn't need him to elaborate on that, as I already knew that he had most likely found all legal documents on me. And, if he hadn't, he obviously found the one document that I wish never existed.

Something on my face gave me away, for he then said, "Yes, it was all the legal documents I could get, including what your thinking about."

He moved from behind the desk, coming to a stop in front of me. Kneeling down, he grabbed both of my hands, keeping his eyes locked on my own.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry that it happened to you. You didn't deserve it," he said quietly. Anger flooded me at his words, and I could feel my eyes tear up as I said, "But it didn't stop you from using it against me."

My voice was cold when I said that, and I thought I saw him flinch slightly while a look of regret passed over his face, but I blinked, and his face was a blank slate.

"Your right," he said as he let go of my hands and stood. He walked back over to the desk, sitting back down as he looked over at me.

"Are there anymore questions that you would like to ask?" he asked me, his tone seemingly nutreul, but I thought I could sense his own anger underneath it, and shook my head. I realized that what I last said was something stupid to say, even if it was true, for he now seemed angry. So, I decided that I would finish my questions to him later.

Besides, I already had asked the main questions that I had wanted answered.

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Bet**

* * *

I was bored, so very bored. Four days had past since my impromptu questioning, and I started to become restless with being stuck with him in this office, having nothing to do. I had already finished the one book in his office that had looked like it would be interesting – it wasn't – and had, in truth, gotten a bit sick of reading, for it seemed to be all I did.

Plus, the rest of the books in his office were in a foreign language; at least, that's what it seemed like to me. They were books on business, something I had never really felt interested in. And, I kept forgetting to grab a book from the library connected to my room for when he brought me in here with him.

So, due to my forgetfulness and the lack of anything interesting, the only thing that I was able to do to amuse myself was annoying Edward, something that I couldn't help but take great pleasure in. It seemed that, in his attempt to keep me near him, he had forgotten that I didn't have anything else to do, and something told me that he was used to working while it was quiet.

I shifted in the chair, leaning against the arm of the chair with my legs thrown over the other side. I allowed my feet to tap in the air while my hand taps the edge. It creates little noise, but enough that it seems to still annoy him; how that is possible, I do not know, for the shuffling of papers seemed to premate in the room.

"That's it," he suddenly said, and I sit up quickly as he walked over to her, surprised, and, if I was honest, a little bit afraid. Would he hit me again? Do something worse? He had already used part of my worse fear against me, would he use all of it?

However, he didn't hit me, nor did he haul me up. Instead, he stood in front of me, leaning down until his face was practically parallel with mine.

"Would you stop that?" he gritted out, and I could tell that he had reach some unseeable breaking point from noise.

"I'm bored, so I'm going to do something eleviate it," I answered back. He frowned, contemplating something. However, before he could reach whatever it was that he was thinking about, the phone rang. Quickly straightening, he walked over to it.

"Yeah," he answered. Whoever it was on the other line caused a smile, a huge one to overtake his face.

"Of course you can come over," he said, and I wondered who he was talking to. Whoever it was, he was obviously happy to hear from them. I had to admit the the smile on his face made him look nicer; I knew that, had he not had me kidnapped and had smiled at me like that the first time we met, I wouldn't have been so opposed to being married to him.

As it was, that wasn't how it happened, and I knew that there was no point in thinking about things like that. I tuned back into one side of the conversation I could here, though I found it kind of boring, for all he seemed to say is 'yes', 'no', laugh, or some monosyllable. He seemed to mostly be intent on listening to whoever it was on the other line.

Then, he finally said something longer than one word, though I wished he hadn't, for I could tell that whatever it was, it dealt with me, for he said, "Yes, she's here."

Clearly, whoever it was that he was talking to knew about me; I wondered if they also knew that he was a stalker.

I waited patiently as silence premeaded the air as he listened to whoever it was that was talking. His smile never left his face. Then, he said, "Yes, you can come over," before saying bye and hanging up. He turned towards me.

"That was my mother, Elizabeth Masen. She's coming over today because she want to meet you, since you my wife to be" he explaned. I frowned.

"Does she know that your forcing me to marry you, and that I don't want to?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit like a perpetulent child's. He glared at me.

"No, but you are not going to say anything about that, to anyone," he answered. I scoffed.

"What's stopping me?" I challenged, standing up for my seat. He stepped forward, seemingly to be threatening, but then, he stopped, shaking his head, muttering upder his breath. He turned his head back towards me.

"You won't be able to," he said. My eyes widened at his audacity. How dare he assume that I wouldn't. He acts as if he knows me so well, only it's a bit obvious that he doesn't, especially when he throws around comments like that, I thought.

"Oh really? What makes you say that?" I asked, sarcastically. He shrugs lightly, not answering, yet not looking as if he's wrong either. It infuriated me, and I glared at him.

"What? Do you really think you can?" he asked, having the nerve to laugh. A smirk crossed his face. "Why don't we make a bet, then, shall we?"

"What would be our prizes?" I asked immediately, not even stopping to think about it. I was confident that I wouldn't loose, but I wanted to know what I would win beforehand, so I knew it would be something worthwhile. He thought for a moment.

"I'm not going to just let you go, you know that, right?" he said, making it clear to me that never seeing him again wasn't an option. Frowning lightly, I quickly said, "Then making me agree to marry you with no fight is out as well."

He pursed his lips, eyes flashing dangerously, before agreeing.

"Then how about this: if I win, you have to kiss me, a real one, not just some small peck; and, if you win, I'll…" he trailed off, unsure of what to give me exactly. I thought for a moment, then remembered how he had been keeping me close to him since letting me out several days ago.

"If I win, then you stop making me follow you around, and allow me to go else where," I stated. He looked ready to say something, and I immediately knew that he still didn't trust me not to run off in he allowed such a thing, so, as loathed as I was to do so, I added, "With an escort of your choosing."

That stopped him. He looked at me, suspicion clearly written on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, I'm kind of sick of not being able to do anything, since you seem so keen on keeping me in the same room as you, and, since this is the room you frequent the most – hell, I've yet to see you anywhere but here, the dining room, and the bedroom since you've decided to keep me on a leash – and, quite frankly, this room is getting on my nerves."

He let out a chuckle at this, as if he found my words to be amusing. I glared at him.

"So, do we have a deal?" I asked, trying to get back on point. Even though he had been the one to propose the bet, it seemed that, in the last few seconds, the tables had turn, and I was the one eager for a bet. After all, I was the one asking for a deal.

"Yes, we have a deal," he answered, after a few more seconds of thinking about the terms. I nodded.

"When does she get here?"

* * *

Almost half an hour later, I was starting to feel nervous. Not because I believed that I wouldn't win the bet, but because I didn't know what to think of his mother. I was torn, not knowing what she would be like, and he offered no answer to my questions about her. Due to that, I was left to wonder about her, which made me even more nervous.

I stood stiffly next to him in the parlor room, still trying to figure out what she would be like, when I heard a car pull up outside, and the sound of two doors opening and shutting, with about a minute between them. Shaking lightly, I waited. Without thinking about it, my hand had grabbed onto Edward's arm, nor did I realize that my nails were digging into his skin until his other hand came up and pried mine away.

"Sorry," I muttered, not sure if I meant it or not. I wanted to allow my hand to fall away, slightly surprised to discover that he wouldn't allow it. His other hand, the one on the arm I had been sinking my nails into, wrapped around my hand, holding it tightly, making sure I knew that I wouldn't be escaping easily.

I softly sighed, but didn't fight. If I was honest, despite how much I do not like him, holding his hand was better than twiddling my finger around, showing my nervousness. A butler, one who I hadn't seen yet, stepped into view. I tightened my grip on his hand, my nervousness becoming even more obvious than before.

"Calm down," he whispered to me, trying to get me to loosen my grip. I squeezed harder in response, showing my displeasure over his words. He winced. I stifled a chuckle, finding myself happy at the fact that I caused some pain to him, then looked up at him.

"Don't tell me what to do," I whispered back, glaring at him.

"Your going to be my wife, so I do believe I am allowed to tell you some things to do," he whispered back.

"You seriously need a reality check. I have not agreed to marry you," I said.

"We are getting married," he insisted, rather stubbornly.

"No, we are not," I said, putting my free hand on my waist. We were facing each other, my one hand still held in his, the other on my hip. Our bodies were almost touching, and we were glaring at each other. He opened his mouth to say something, but a small, polite cough sounded. We both turned back towards the doorway, remembering that we were about to have company.

While I didn't know about him, I knew that I had almost forgotten about that little fact; the rememberance sent my nerves haywire once more. I was almost sorry that we were no longer fighting, as it seemed to have made me forget about my surroundings, even though it had only been for a little while.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, preparing myself for the encounter as a loud knocking sound echoed through the hall. The butler – at least, that who I thought he was – walked out of the room. I heard the front door open, the low murmuring of voices in the hallway before the butler came back in the room.

"Mrs. Masen," he said, stepping to the side. He remeinded me of the butlers I would see in movies set in an older era. Then, I turned my eyes away from him, almost hesitantly, having no real desire, yet having a huge curiosity, to meet her.

When my eyes found her, I felt my eyes and mouth go wide.

* * *

**Chapter Ten – Meeting His Mother**

* * *

_No way that is his mother_ was my first thought. I was pretty sure that, anyone who saw her, would think the exact same thing. So looked so _young_, and, while she did share some of the same traits that Edward had, I would have pegged her for a sister over a mother.

She had darker hair, not quite the bronze that Edward had, for it was more of a reddish brown color. Her eyes were grayish green. They shared some of the same features, but she also looked softer than he did. And, as I had immediately notice, neither her face nor anything about her showed any sign of whatever her age was.

"You must be Bella," she said, and I was shocked to discover that she had somehow maneuvered herself to stand in front of me without my notice. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."

She held out her hand, and I, as if I was on autopilot, reached out my own, firmly shaking hers. I was still speechless, and her cheerfulness caught me off-guard. Luckily for me, she seemed not to notice how out of it I was as she turned towards Edward.

"Hello again, dear," she said, reaching up and giving him a great big hug. That smile that had crossed his face in the office when she called appeared again. It was obvious that he loved her.

"You were right, she is beautiful," Mrs. Masen told him as they parted. I couldn't help the blush that spread across my face. I wasn't used to people calling me beautiful, especially when they were obviously much more attractive than I was. I saw her smile once more before walking over to one of the couches in the room.

Edward, my hand still held in his, walked over to the other couch, pulling me out of my shocked phase, and making me stumble along with him. He sat us on the opposite couch, so we were facing her.

Small talk was made, the simple type that everyone always asks a person when they first see each other. It was after those pleasantries were exchanged and we were grasping for something else to say when Edward's cell rang. My head turned towards him, wondering who was calling.

He looked at the number for a moment, then turned to his mother.

"I'm afraid that I have to take this. Will you two be alright with each other?" as he said this, his gaze moved from his mother to me. I nodded, slightly eager to have him leave. I could tell his mother the truth easier without him in the room, for something seemed to tell me that he would most likely try to stop me every time I did so.

"Don't worry, dear, I sure that Bella and I will be able to entertain ourselves while your gone," Elizabeth said, giving him a warm smile.

"Yes, I am sure that we can," I said while giving my own to him, though mine wasn't as sincere as hers. I knew he saw through it, but I didn't care. If I was to tell his mother what happened, then he would have to be out of the room; I had a feeling that he would keep interrupting me if I even tried to say anything with him there. It would be easier to tell her if he wasn't there.

I thought, for a minute, that he would call me out on my plan and insist that I go with him, or something to keep me away from her, but he only nodded his head and turned back towards her as he let go of my hand and stood. I wasn't sure if I was insulted or relieved, because both had a place in me at the moment. I was relieved because I would be able to tell her, but I was insulted as well because his leaving seemed to say that he truly believed that I wouldn't tell her. Well, I would definitely show him.

"Be right back," he told her, leaning down and giving her a kiss to her cheek. We watched him leave the room, and she turned towards me. I took a deep breath, preparing to start speaking, only to have her say something first.

"I'm so glad to see him happy again," she said. I froze, my words stuck in my throat from surprise. _Happy again_ I thought. I wasn't aware that he had been unhappy at all. I had seem him either happy, angry, or indifferenced, but unhappy? Nope.

"Again?" I asked, curiosity getting to me. "What do you mean?"

I must have said the wrong thing, for she looked at me, her own curiosity shining through her eyes. I backtracked, saying, "He…doesn't talk about his past too much."

She nodded her head, and her eyes showed that she understood what I meant. Part of me wondered why she had bought that lie; after all, I really hadn't given him a chance to say anything about his family or his past. It made me wonder what it was that she was thinking.

"Yes, I should have probably guessed," she said, confusing me even more. "He really doesn't like to talk about that part of his past, or anything related to it."

My eyes furrowed, and I tried to think about what it was that she was talking about. Then, it hit me, and I remembered the picture that was in the hallway leading up to my room, the one that he had mentioned being painted by his little sister. Without thinking, I said, "You mean Dianna."

Elizabeth gasped, and I immediately felt as if I had crossed some invisible line by saying her name so casually. It also appeared that I was right, in a way as well. Why else would the name spark a gasp from her if it didn't have anything to do with what we were talking about?

"How do you…I thought you said…" she sputtered, a bit surprised. It didn't take long for me to decipher her words, and realized that, while unintentional, I had said something personal that, by my own words, I shouldn't know. I was quick in realizing that I needed to remedy those words.

"He didn't really tell me anything about her. She was brought up when I was looking at a picture she had apparently drawn, and he mentioned that his sister had drawn it. When I asked if it was Alice, he mentioned that it was his other sister and said her name," I said. She nodded her head, though I could tell that she almost didn't believe what I was saying.

I bit my lip, turning my head away as the memory of the picture came to mind. I remembered how Edward had reacted towards it, almost causally when he answered my questions, but it had been the look in his eyes that had shown me the truth, that had almost caused me to cry I could still remember that sadness that had been there, though only for a second.

"Can you…" she started off hesitant before seeming to gather her nerves. "Can you show me where the picture is?"

I nodded my head, though I wondered how she didn't know where it was. I had a feeling that she came here often, yet, from the way she sounded, she had never seen that picture. Or, perhaps it was that she was…_curious_ as to which picture I was talking about.

Standing up, I walked over to the door with her following, and up the stairs towards my bedroom. I stopped in from of that picture, hearing her gasp behind me. I turned towards her, noticing that she was shaking, her hand coming up to cover her trembling lips as tears filled her eyes. Concern washed through me as she went pale, and seemed to sway where she was standing.

I reached a hand out towards her as Edward's voice seemed to reach out from the recess of my mind.

'_It happened a few months after she had painted this…'_

Shit, I thought as those words echoed through my mind. I had forgotten that little fact about this painting, and my carelessness was obviously bringing up some bad memories for her.

"Would you like to go sit down?" I asked, hoping that she would be able to compose herself away from the picture. At her nod, I led her to my room, allowing her to sit on the corner of the bed. Walking into the bathroom, I grabbed a glass cup, filled it with some water from the sink, and hurried back towards her.

Handing the cup to her, I noticed that she was shaking, and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked after awhile. I had noticed that, as she sipped the water is small gulps, her shaking had decreased, and she was starting to regain some color in her cheeks. Her eyes, which had been out of focus for a while, flashed towards me. It almost looked as if she was just remembering where she was, as well as the fact that she had company.

"I'm fine," she said shakily. I didn't really believe her, but let it go, not willing to make a bit deal of it. Moving away from her, I sat down at the edge of the bed, as it was the closest area to sit in the room. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, slightly anxious for what would be said next. I wanted to ask what had happened to Dianna, what it was that made her that way, but nothing seemed to come through my throat.

Plus, the fact that I felt it would be rude and an invasion of privacy stopped me as well. It wasn't something I, a stranger who wasn't planning on having anything to do with this family, needed to know.

The reminder of that thought made me remember about the bet, and what I had been ready to say earlier, before we had gotten to where we were at the moment; sitting in my bedroom while an awkward silence filled the air. I wondered if it would be a good idea to mention the fact that I was here against my will or not at the moment, as she still looked saddened by something.

I was stalling, regretting making that bet. Earlier, it had seemed a good idea, up until she had mentioned something about him being happy again. Now, with her in such a saddened state, I couldn't seem to say anything. I had a feeling that it would hurt her if I said something like that.

I was startled out of my thought by the sound of her placing the cup down on the little table next to her. She looked at me, her eyes on my own, and said the last thing I expected her to say.

"Now, I know my son is happy you're here, but I have to know. Are you happy with him?"

I just barely managed to keep my mouth shut at the blunt question. _Here's my chance_ I thought. She was practically telling me to tell her that he was forcing me. Yet, like the idiot I was, I didn't take the chance immediately. Instead, I hesitated, and looked at her closely.

While she didn't seem to be expecting me to say yes or no, the look in her eyes, as well as the way she twiddled her fingers together, told me that she was nervous about my answer. Her eyes showed that she was hopeful for a yes, that I was just as happy as he son; her hands showed that she was afraid of a no, which would end up making her son miserable by leaving him.

Having that knowledge made it harder to tell her the truth. I mean, I knew that I should tell her the truth, which I was being forced into this relationship, yet I was afraid of hurting her with the truth at the same time. I had a feeling that it had to do with the fact that she also seemed to be more fragile than she had earlier, as if the wrong word could break her.

I swallowed hard.

"I..I…I'm," I took a deep breath. "I'm very happy here with him."

I sighed inwardly, slightly ashamed of myself for lying to her. I wasn't happy here. I didn't want to be here. Yet, as I saw her face turn into a relived smile that seemed to light up her whole face, I couldn't find it in myself to be saddened over the fact that I hadn't said anything. And, upon thinking about it, the thought scared me.

"Shall we go back downstairs. He's probably finished with his call, and is wondering where we're at," she said, standing up. I followed her lead, and headed towards the door. As we walked down the hallway, she connected our arms together, and began talking about inconsequential things, pointedly keeping her gaze from her daughter's painting.

As we made it to the landing of the first floor, I noticed that she was right about Edward being done with his phone call. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall next to the doorway into the parlor, looking slightly worried. It melted away at the sight of us.

He looked at me, and something seemed to say that he was asking if I had told her, like I had said I would. Shaking my head slightly, I frowned as a smirk crossed his face, wondering what it was for. His mother, who didn't seem to notice our small exchange, let go of my arm and walked passed him.

He stayed where he was for a minute, just long enough to mouth 'I win' to me before walking into the parlor, leaving me standing where I was as realization dawned up me. I hadn't really been thinking about the bet earlier, when I had thrown away my chance to win it, and I had forgotten about what the prize the winner would get.

I didn't have any problems right now, and the thought of kissing him…well, in all honesty, it didn't seem to disgust me or anything like that. Instead, the mere thought of it sent my heart pounding, my blood racing, and butterflies seemed to multiply in my stomach. If I didn't know better, I would have said I was looking forward to it. Somehow, I didn't find it in myself to mind that thought, and, once again, I scared myself.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven – Family**

* * *

_I want to kiss him._

_No I don't._

_I want to kiss him._

_No I don't._

I had been repeating these thoughts in my head for a while, with my rational and irrational sides fighting together. Rational was trying to remind me of…everything that had happened within the last couple of weeks, while berating me at the same time for lying to his mother.

However, the irrational side, the side that had found him and was still finding him attractive, was excited about the fact that a kiss was on its way. In fact, it was wishing that something else would happen as well…

Okay, not going there.

I changed my line of thought, as the thought that was starting to form in my mind was not one that I wanted. Instead, I let my mind wonder back towards Dianna. I wondered what was happened to her. Also, I wondered about Edward's family. While he and Alice had some similiarities in their looks, I hadn't really seen anything similar between Elizabeth and Alice, at least not in looks.

Plus, I was wondering who Esme was, as she was the one who had somewhat of a hand in the decorations of the hallway. With the way he had spoken of her, it was slightly obvious that she was someone important in his life; I had, at first, thought she was him mother, and that his relationship with her was the same as my own: getting along with her, but in a more friendship like relationship. But now, with finding out that his mother was Elizabeth, it left me wondering who she was.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go."

Elizabeth's voice seemed to cut through my thoughts, and I automatically stood up from where I was sitting. Walking with her and Edward to the door, I said good-bye, only half of my mind on that task. I was actually thinking about how best to ask him about his family. I felt like I had be a bit unsensitive when asking about Dianna, and something told me that asking abut her straight to Edward wouldn't work.

Plus, I wanted to avoid the kiss I would have to give him. I knew that I would end up doing so, simply because I had already said that I woud when the bet was made; I was not going to go back on my word, and be called a liar. However, that did not mean wouldn't put it off as long as possible, and I figured his family was as good of a subject to do that as any.

After saying good-bye to Elizabeth, I walked back into the parlor, waiting for Edward to appear, who had decided to walk his mother out to her car. Sitting back down on the couch, I began to think about how I could go about asking about the rest of his family, as well as Esme.

I bit my lip, glancing a bit nervously towards the doorway. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Edward, now that he had most definitely won the bet – I could have easily asked Elizabeth if I could talk to her alone while she was here, and tell her the truth. At least, I was trying to make myself believe that. However, having been lost in my thoughts since we had come downstairs, telling Elizabeth the truth had been the last thing in my mind.

If I was completely honest, the kiss that I would have to give was also in the back of my mind. Instead, the main part of my mind was mostly focused on trying to figure out his family. I mean, I knew his mother, had briefly met one sister, and talked about the other, but, other than that, I knew nothing else.

Sighing lightly, I realized that this sudden want to know his family meant trouble. I really shouldn't care about his family. I shouldn't want to know anything about him, unless it pertained to me never seeing him again. And, in truth, I didn't think knowing his family pertained to such a cause.

If anything, knowing about his family would just bring me closer to him, something I really didn't want. Becoming close to him would make it hard for me to forget him; not that I really would be able to anyways. He had already made an impression on me, though, after meeting his mother, I wasn't sure if it was a good one or a bad one.

However, family was really the only thing I could think of to talk to him too. I had already question him about how he knew me before I knew him, and I really didn't want to know the details of him fallowing me anymore than what I was already given. And, right now, I was slightly scared to discover what it was that he did for a living. So, family was the only real option left that wouldn't be meaningless and, hopefully, keep his attention long enough for me to go to bed…without kissing him.

My rational side was happy with this plan. My irrational side, not so much. It would be quite happy to kiss him…which was probably why I had been stupid enough to agree to that stupid bet. Well, that, and the fact that he didn't mind the condition of what my prize would be if I won. But mostly because irrational wanted a kiss from him.

At least, that's how I'm justifying it anyhow.

I heard the front door open and shut. Moments later, Edward entered my vision, a smirk on his face. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the obvious way he was flaunting his win. Luckily, before he could say anything, a girl with shoulder length blond hair entered behind him, and cleared her throat.

"Dinner's ready," she said, her voice extremely soft. I had to concentrate hard to hear it, despite the fact that the room was completely silent. Edward turned towards her, nodding his head and motioning for me to follow him to the dining room. The girl moved out of his way as he passed him.

"Hey, Jane," I said, giving her a small smile. I got one in return, having already become friends with her in the last few days, despite the fact that, so far, I had only seen her when she announced dinner.

I had been a bit shocked the first time I had met Jane, having been unaware of who she was. I mean, I knew that there were servants here, or, at least expected it, but I hadn't really been prepared to meet one of them, nor had I been prepared for it to be someone who looked younger than me.

The first dinner I had here, Edward had come and gotten me when it came time to eat. The dinners after that had been delivered to my room by someone unknown to me, though I had, at that time, assumed that it had been Edward. It hadn't even occurred to me that it might have been someone else.

Then, the first dinner out of my room, having been trapped with Edward at the time, I had discovered that Jane was the one responsible for making sure that everyone ate. I had been startled at first, as she was very good at sneaking up on a person.

I had been rather happy to discover that there was someone else here other than Edward, as I yet to really see anyone yet. Unfortunately, it took a bit to coax her into talking to me that first day, as she was used to being ignored. I had given a dirty look to Edward's back when I realized that.

Once I managed to get her to say more than a few words to me, we had started talking on the way to the dining room, and sometimes, she would stay in the room with us so I could still talk to her. I had learned a bit about her the last two days, like the fact that her father, Marcus, lived in Italy, and her mother, Didyme, had died when she was three.

She also informed me that both her older brother James and twin brother Alec worked around there as well, and that I would most likely meet her twin sometime, if I was allowed; it seemed that her brother could almost always be found in the library, and that the whole household had heard of my love for books.

In fact, I had felt a bit bad when she mentioned that her brother had been looking forward to meeting me, but had been unable too when I got 'punished'. I had found myself wishing that I hadn't been so subborn to stay in my room my first full day here, as he sounded interesting.

I had also been surprised to discover that she was three years older than me, and even said so.

Jane started walking next to me on the way to the dining room.

"I won't be able to stay," she told me. I looked over to her. "I promised that I would have dinner with my boyfriend tonight."

That was another thing I learned about Jane; she had a boyfriend named Riley, whose step-sister, Victoria, was married to her older brother. They had apparently met at James' wedding and hit it off immediately.

I knew that Jane didn't spent much time with Riley, due to their jobs, and, while I wanted to avoid talking to him, I knew that it would be a good idea to distract him from the fact that I needed to kiss him. Dinner would be the perfect time to strike up a conversation with him. At least, I hoped it would be. I usually ignored him in favor of talking to Jane, or just allowing silence to reign, just like the first time I ate with him.

I gave Jane a hug before walking into the room, saying that I would see her tomorrow as I did so. Walking towards my seat, I was surprised to discover that Edward, who usually sat across from me, was sitting in the seat next to where I usually sat. Confusion crossed my face as I sat down, asking silently what he was doing sitting there. I received no answer.

As we began eating, I struggled to think of a good conversation opener. Luckily for me, he started one himself.

"Did you and my mother enjoy yourselves?" he asked me. I nodded my head, narrowing my eyes at him as I realized that it wasn't a lucky for me thing. For some reason, I just knew that he was about bring up the bet and his prize, the very thing I was trying to avoid. So I interrupted him with the main question in my mind.

"Who's Esme?" I asked. I could tell I surprised him, and that he was confused as to the way I was asking. I decided to elaborate.

"The hallway leading up to my…our room," I amended, since that was true. "You said that Esme decorated it. The way that you said it, it made it sound as if she was someone close to you. I thought she was your mother, but obviously I was wrong. So, I was wondering who she was?"

"What makes you think she anything but my interior decorator?" he asked back, a smirk coming to his face. I glared at him, unamused.

"Last time I checked, people don't refer to their interior decorators as anything but that, and, if they do, it's not by their first names unless your in a relationship. "

I stopped there, taking a deep breath as I asked yet again, "So who is she?"

I could tell that he was considering avoiding the question – I could tell that he was…_uncomfortable_ with questions – but, luckily, he seemed to think it was worth answering.

"Esme's my stepmother," he said. I nodded my head, realizing that I wasn't that far off with their connection. She was still a mother, just not in the way I had originally thought. I waited to see if he would say more on the subject, but his face stayed blank.

"What about the rest of your family?" I asked, unable to stop myself from doing so. That wasn't the way I wanted to ask. I wanted to ask about each person, despite the fact that I didn't know how many family members he had.

"I mean, does Alice resemble your dad more than your mom?" I tried again, wanting to be specific and yet wanted him to talk about them without prompt from me.

"No. Actually, Alice looks like her mother," he said, sounding slightly suspicious about why I was asking these questions, yet slightly happy about it at the same time, if that makes any sense. I think he thought I was trying to find out about his family because I was warming up to him, not trying to avoid kissing him.

"So she looks like Esme," I said, making no mention that he had just revealed that she was his half sister. It was prospect that I was used to, as I would most likely end up with a half-sibling soon, as Renee was most likely going to end up pregnant at some point. At least, I suspected it was going to happen, and soon.

"No," he said. He went silent after that as I waited for him to elaborate. Minutes went by as silence reigned, and I realized that he had no plans of continuing. I grew angry.

"Dammit, Edward, would you please tell me more about your family?" I growled, my irritation showing. I could tell that I was amusing him a bit, the smirk on his face saying so.

"Why?" he asked, and I could hear his amusement as well.

"Because I want to know. I want to know how your parents got together and why they divorced. I want to know more about your mother. I want to know about your father, and his however many wives, since you just indicated that Esme wasn't Alice's mother. I want to know how many siblings you have, and what they're like," I ranted. As I said these things and more, I realized, with a strange, startling clearity, that my want to know about these things were no longer just a way of avoidance. I really did want to know more about them…and him.

This realization seemed to hit me with the force of a semi, leaving me a bit breathless. Luckily, I was able to play it off as just loosing my breath from my rant, so he didn't really seem to wonder why I was suddenly gasping for air. Instead, he looked at me with a bit of concern and amusement; concern over my lost of breath, but amused at the cause, or what he thought was the cause.

"I guess you should be informed about my family, as you will most likely meet them sometimes," he said. I nodded automatically, a bit surprised that he had given in so easily. I had almost expected him to either evade me on this issue a bit more, or say something about me kissing him.

Not that I wasn't happy, though. In fact, I was thrilled that he hadn't.

"I guess I should start with my parents, well, their story anyways," he said. I sat up straighter, giving him all of my attention.

"Well, lets see…I guess we should start with how my parents know each other. Yeah, that's a good place," he muttered, as if to himself, for I had to concentrate in order to hear what he was saying.

"My parents, Elizabeth Masen and Carlisle Cullen, met each other back in elementary school, when they were both put into the same forth grade class, though their parents, my grandparents, had known each other for years beforehand. They became fast friends, though many others thought that it was more, since neither of them seemed to date anyone, and were always around each other, but that was mostly because my grandparents on both sides didn't want them to date anyone but each other.

"Of course, they didn't find this out until my mother's seventeenth birthday, which ended up doubling as an engagement party for the two of them. They tried to fight it, of course; neither of them really cared for each other as more than brother and sister at most, but my grandparents were very…persuasive in their arguments.

"So, my parents decided that it was better to just give in and make them happy, got married, and was born about a year after their marriage. Of course, unknown to my grandparents, my parents had already made an arrangement beforehand, a sort of…counter act to the engagement. You see, my grandparents weren't exactly young when they had my parents, and, in truth, I believe it was the fact that they somehow knew that they wouldn't live that long, and that was the reason why they wanted a quick wedding between them."

"What do you mean, you believed that they somehow knew that they woundn't live long?" I interrupted, curious as to why he made that admission. He gave me a look that seemed to say, _Don't interrupt me again_ before he cleared his throat.

"I just mean that, back then, it sometimes felt as if they knew things before it happened. The way they would talk and acted around me, it's hard to believe that they didn't have some forsight of something bad happening."

He fell silent for a moment, then continued.

"They all died before my sixth birthday, my father's parents in a plane accident, and my mother's in a car. Two months after the funerals, my parents did a 'friendly divorce', really having no qualms about what got what. In fact, the only thing they did almost fight was who got custody of me, until they just decided to live together in the same house until one of them found someone.

"They did date around for a little while after that. It was my mother who was the one who first fell in love. She met, dated, and married Alexander Masen within a year. That was when I was suddenly…shuffled to a different house every month. Luckily, my mother was able to convince my step father to move to where we were living, so I didn't have to deal with having to go to two different schools or being tutored. However, I had to admit, as nice as Alexander was, I like being with my dad the best, as there was really no change with him at the time. Plus, mom was showing signs of being pregnant, though I had just thought she was getting fat at the time."

I had to stifle a laugh at that, understanding that he probably didn't' know much about females at the time. _That must have been Dianna_ I thought, though I didn't bring it up. Something told me he would either.

"Anyhow, about a year and a half after my mother got remarried, my dad met Alice's mother, Mary," he continued, proving me right when he moved away from the subject of just who his mother was pregnant with. "He didn't really date Mary, she was just _there_ one day. I learned later on that they had gotten drunk and had a one night stand, but forgot about protection. So, my dad did the…honorably thing, and married her.

"Now, Mary wasn't bad; in fact, she was more like a babysitter than a step-mother, more playful than anything. I just wasn't used to not having all the attention on me. Mean, on one hand, my mother was busy taking care of my newest little sister; on the other, my father was making sure that my new step-mother was comfortable.

"Of course, once Alice was born, my discomfort disappeared, strangely enough. I even began to grow closer to Mary afterwards, and would help with Alice when I was at my father's house. I would also help out with my other little sister, but I tended to feel a little abandoned when I was with my mother, who seemed to only have eyes for my little sister.

"So, I began to spend more time with my father and Mary than I did with my mother, and the custody agreement was changed so I would spend most of my time with my father, weekends with my mother, and we would all spend the holidays together. The house that my parents had lived in together after the divorce became what I tended to call the 'Holiday and Birthday House', as that was where we all would live for those times."

I couldn't help but start to ask, "But when did Dianna…"

I trailed off, clasping my hand over my mouth as I realized that I started to say something I didn't mean to. He looked at me sharply, but took a deep breath, and said, "I can't really tell you what happened yet."

I nodded my head, slightly shaken from the tone of his voice as he said that. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it when I realized that I had no idea what to say.

"All I can really give you is that I was thirteen, Dianna was six, and Alice was five. And it was around one of the family get together holidays."

He took a deep breath after that, and then started talking again.

"After what happened to Dianna, mom was slightly inconsolable, and was sent to a mental hospital for a while. I would still stay with Alexander on the weekends I was supposed to stay with her, and he would take me to go visit her as well."

He still spoke with a detatched voice, and I realized that this was something that he didn't seem to be ready to discuss either, for it was causing him pain. Plus, if I was honest, if felt a bit like he was no longer there in the room, but stuck in his memories. As much as I didn't care for him, and the way that he had been treating me, I couldn't stand that thought of him in pain.

"So when will I meet Mary?" I asked, desperate to get off the depressing subject. He suddenly looked at me, startled, before shaking his head lighltly. The blank look on his face disappeared.

"As much as I wish you would, you won't be able to," he told me. "About three years after Dianna died, Mary was killed in hit and run accident."

I winced as I realized that I had just switched from one death topic to another.

"Where does Esme come in, then?" I asked, hoping that that was a safe topic. I really didn't know what was safe to talk about to him, my knowledge of him was so limited.

"Esme? Oh yes, Esme," he said, as if he had forgotten and was just remembering her.

"My father met Esme about six years ago. She and her daughter Bree were frequent patients of his. It was after the thirtieth visit, when she came in with a broken leg, that my father started to become concerned. He began pulling both her's and Bree files together, including the ones before they had moved to town, and realized that the injuries they were suffering from were too…periodic and seemed to be deliberate that he realized that something was wrong.

"He discovered that her husband, Charles, was abusing them. Of course, when he first told Esme he knew, she freaked, and refused to say anything. It wasn't until Bree almost died from her injuries that my father was finally able to convince Esme to go to the police.

"Of course, Charles had managed to make some friends with the nurses at the hospital, and managed to convince one ot tell him if his wife said anything about police, so he was gone by the time the cops got to the house. It took about a month to find him. It turned out that he was staying with the one nurse, who ended up becoming a victim of his abuse as well; only she ended up dead.

"Anyways, after they caught him, he ended up hanging himself, knowing that he wouldn't just be going to jail for abuse, but also for murder.

"Of course, by then, my father and Esme had gotten quite attached to each other, as she and Bree stayed with him, and it only took him the day after Charles was caught to ask her to marry him the first time. Since she wasn't divorced at the time, she said no. My dad ended up asking her four times before she said yes.

"They were married two years later, and have been happy with each other ever since."

He stopped there, and something told me that was the end of his story, though he didn't tell me anything about their personalities.

However, as I yawned, I realized that he had been talking for a while, as the clock now showed itself to be around nine.

"Wow, time flew by," I said, pusing my chair back a way from the table, which was empty. I hadn't realized that the servants had come and cleared it, I was so…enthralled by his tale. I headed towards my room, noticing that he was following me. I was quick in changing, and was about to go to bed when he said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

_Dammit_ I thought, already knowing what it was he was hinting at. I had hoped that he had forgotten about the fact that I had yet to give him his prize. Taking a deep breath, I turned to him. Though I didn't want to, I knew that I had to honor the fact that I had lost the bet, and give him his prize. _Besides, a kiss isn't that bad_ I tried to tell myself, despite the fact that I couldn't shake the feeling that it would be bad for me. I mean, I may end up liking it.

"I'm waiting," he said, his smirk back in place. I could tell he knew that I was stalling, and I could also tell that he wasn't going to let me not kiss him either. _Alright then, looks like I'm goin to have to give him a real kiss_ I thought to myself.

Squaring my shoulders, I walked over to him, determined to just kiss him and get it over with. Stopping right in front of him, I took another deep breath. Lifting my hands up to his face, I pulled it down until I was almost touching his lips. Connecting my eyes with his, I closed mine before I pressed my lips to his.

His lips were warm and smooth. I gently opened my mouth, allowing my tongue to tentatively touch them before swiping at the seam, asking for an entrance that I was quickly granted. _This is it_ I thought as I slowly allowed my tongue into his mouth. I explored it for a bit before my tongue ended up tangling with his.

I couldn't help but notice that there was a spark as I kissed him, one that I hated to admit, even if it was to myself. While the kiss itself wasn't passionate, it still seemed intimate, and not at all as casual as I wished it would be. Pulling away from him, I took a deep breath, feeling air coming back to my lungs.

I stepped away from him, trying to dispel the intimate feel that was in the air. Opening my eyes, which I had kept closed, I noticed that he was still standing where I left him, but looking just as shocked at I felt. His eyes, which had been closed, opened up, and I saw that he was just as surprised as I was. However, it was only there for a moment, and the spell was broken when he let a smirk color his face once more and said, "Now there, that wasn't that bad, was it?"

I growled, glaring at him before turning around and crawling into bed. Sinking down into the bed, I ignored him as he crawled in next to me, and tried to get to sleep, despite the busy mess that was my thoughts. I tensed as I felt his arm come around my waist and pull me into him, yet, almost immediately, I also felt relaxed, my thoughts no longer in turmoil.

I didn't feel like thinking about that, however, and allowed the sweet oblivion of sleep to claim me.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve – Emmett and Clothes Replacements**

* * *

I knew right away that something was different when I woke up the next morning. The arm that had been slung over me was no longer there and there was no warmth of another body near me. Plus, I had the strangest feeling that someone was watching me. While I knew that Edward sometime did that, having actually woken up to it, the eyes seemed to come from somewhere else, more in front of me than anything, plus, the stare seemed to be more intense.

Slowly opening my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of an empty bed. My first thought, upon discovering this, was not a good one, as the last time I had woken up to an empty bed, I had ended up being trapped in this room all alone. I thought I did something to get him angry once more.

However, as I remembered the strange feeling I had upon waking up, I turned over, and found, to my surprise, that there was someone else in the room. I almost instantly recognized him as the bigger than Pug guy that had been here the day I had tried to escape.

"Hey, looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake," he said. I immediately sat up, wondering what he was doing here in my room.

"I'm Emmett," he said, introducing himself. He held out his hand, waiting for me to introduce myself, though I knew that he probably already knew who I was.

"Bella," I said, just to be polite. The smile he gave as I shook his hand told me that I had indeed been right; he already knew my name.

"What are you doing in here? Where's Edward?" I asked, before I realized that the rather desperate way I asked the last question made it seem as if I wanted to know for a completely different reason than the real one. He raised his eyebrow, obviously thinking what I was afraid he would end up thinking.

"I mean, he's usually here when I wake up, and the last time he wasn't in here when I woke up…" I trailed off as I noticed that he understood what I was saying. I was afraid that I would isolated again. Pathetic, I know, but I couldn't help that automatically think that, especially since I didn't know if he would make it a habit.

"Edward decided that you were allowed to do something you wanted to do. So long as I'm with you, you are basically free from being stuck in his study with him all the time," Emmett said. A smile crossed my face as I inwardly jumped for joy. Even though I had lost the bet, Edward, for some reason, was giving me the prize I had asked for. I wondered why for a moment, then decided that I didn't care, so long as I wasn't stuck with him. Besides, I figured that he was doing it because I had been annoying him the last few days.

I jumped from the bed, telling Emmett to give me a few moments before rushing to the bathroom, taking the quickest shower I could before realizing that I had forgotten to grab clothes. Grabbing the black terrycloth robe, I walked to the cdresser, grabbing a pair of Edward's sleep pants – he really didn't get me many comfortable clothes – and a long sleeve tee before thinking about what I wanted to do.

Strangely enough, now that I had my freedom – partially – I couldn't think of what I wanted to do. I didn't want to read; as much as I loved to read, I didn't feel like doing so right now. I, in fact, didn't want to do anything that ws typical of me; read, write, play the violin, though the latter wasn't a regular occurance for me.

Instead, I wanted to do something that I usually didn't do; go through the clothes that Edward had bought for me. Usually, I hated anything that might lead to clothes shopping; going through clothes to find what fits, what doesn't, what's to destroyed, and what's not liked anymore usually leads to it, so I tried to avoid it as much as possible.

However, the fact that I had to use Edward's clothes because everything that was mine wasn't what I really cared for had me eager to condense the amount of clothes, as I figured that I wouldn't really wear those that I didn't like, no matter what was said.

"So, what are we doing?" Emmett asked, startling me. In my musings, I had forgotten that he was there.

"_I'm_ going to go through my clothes," I said, emphasizing who it was that was going to do so. I didn't need him touching anything.

"Why are going to do that. I mean, Alice chose everything you would most likely need. She didn't even let Edward have a choice, either," he said, frowning. I raised an eyebrow at that, having assumed that Edward had done so, even if you did employ a female to help. To find that he had nothing to do with it was, strangely enough, a relief. At least I was saved from the embarrassment that he chose my undergarments, which I had yet to really go through, though the few glances I had taken of them already told me that I wouldn't be wearing many of them.

Plus, the fact that I had been stealing Edward's clothes as much as possible – he had even made a comment about it yesterday, before his mother had come to visit, that I needed to change out of his things, though I didn't – were obvious signs that, just because Alice thought I needed those clothes, didn't mean that they were wanted.

If there was one thing I hated, it was not being in charge of my own wardrobe. Which was why I was glad that, after that first day I was here, Edward hadn't tried to make me wear what he wanted me to wear; though what he did choose wasn't to bad.

"Just because Alice thinks she knows what I need doesn't mean that she actually does. In fact, from what I've seen of the clothes she decided I needed, she doesn't. All of the clothes in there are most likely her attempt at trying to control what I wear, which is something I do not care for," I said fiercely, glaring at him. He shrugged, an obvious look of 'Do what you want to do, on his face.

"But what are you going to do for clothes, then? You can't keep wearing Edward's things, no matter how much you want to," he told me. I frowned once more, having not thought about that little fact, before. It only took me minutes to remember something.

"If I can go online, I can buy some clothes. Of course, it would have to be billed to Edward," I said. "He's rich, right?"

I couldn't help but think about how…_satisfying_ it would be to make him pay quite a bit of money on clothes for me, especially since the sites I was thinking about buying them from weren't known being for having cheep things. The fact that I, no matter how much I wished, had never been able to get things from these places unless the item was on sale made me all the more eager to make Edward buy them. Of course, I also knew that, half the things I wanted, well, wearing them a lot wasn't likely to happen.

Still didn't mean that I wanted them any less.

"Lets go and ask him," I said, making up my mind. I walked down to his study – having memorized the way – with Emmett behind me, and walked straight in. Edward, who was bent over his desk reading something, looked up at me with an annoyed look on his face that disappeared once he realized who it was that had interrupted him.

"Yes?" he asked, obviously wondering what I was doing there, despite my previous words about how I didn't want to spend any more time in that room. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Can I go on the computer and order some more clothes?"

"Why?" he asked. "Alice said she got you everything you would need."

"Just as I told Emmett, just because 'Alice; said she got me everything needed doesn't mean that she got me wanted items. I refuse not having my wardrobe be what I choose, as, more often than not, people who try to buy things for other people clothes wise tend to buy what they think the person wants, or what they want the person to have, and disregards what the actual person might want," I said, my voice firm. "While I am going to go through all of my clothes, from what I've already seen of what I was given, I will not wear any of it."

I was prepared to add more, but he chuckled.

"Something told me that you wouldn't like half of the things she got you when I first saw them, but she was so convinced that you would end up thanking her later," he said, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a black credit card, and held it out to me.

"Go through the clothes first, and then have Emmett set up my laptop for you. You can buy whatever you want, though I do have a request," he said. "Please buy some formal outfits. You can also get some other things besides clothes, like some books or music, if you so wish. Oh, and do what you want with the clothes you don't like."

I reached for the card, but, before I could get it, his other hand came up and yanked me onto his lap. Startled, I went to ask what the hell he was doing, but was stopped short when his lips met mine.

The kiss was short, more of a peck, yet it still sent a spark through me.

"I wanted to do that this morning, but I didn't want to wake you," he said, giving me another short kiss, this one a bit longer, though it wasn't passionate. He let me up after this one ended, and I grabbed the card, walking straight out of the room after that. Emmett, who had waited for me in the hall, smiled at me as he noticed that I had Edward's card.

"Take it he's okay with you buying clothes," he commented.

"And anything else I want. You are to set up his laptop for me after I finish going through the clothes," I said. With that last remark – along with the promise that I would be allowed to get more books – I was in a bit of a hurry to get through the clothes sorting and shopping.

* * *

"Wow," Emmett said an hour and a half later. He was staring at the huge pile of 'not going to keep' clothes, as he had been when it started getting bigger than the 'keeep' pile – which only held two dress, one skirt, and four shirts. "You sure don't seem to want a lot of these clothes, even though they're in a perfectly good condition, and would most likely look good on you."

He picked up the first item he saw.

"Now, why don't you want this?" he asked, holding up the sundress.

"It's yellow," I said simply, shaking my head at yet another hideous – to me, at least – dress, and tossing it onto the pile.

"That was the last of what's in the closet, now time to tackle the dresser," I muttered.

"What does it being yellow have to do with why you don't like it?" Emmett asked, still confused. I sighed.

"Yellow, gold, and bright orange gives me major headaches. I try to do my best to avoid wearing the color," I said. He nodded his head then, as if understanding what I was saying. I pulled the few yellow night clothes out of the drawer I was in – the rest were, surprisingly, alright, and I wished I had know that they were hear earlier, as I kept stealing Edward's clothes – before moving onto the next drawer.

"You must be glad that you don't have to deal with the color a lot, then," he said.

"I usually have to deal with it at work. Ms. Goodmen, my boss who hates me, had her office repainted yellow, and gave me the office right across from hers. She always keeps her blinds open, and demands that I do as well, so I would end up seeing the walls whenever I looked up from my computer before I got permission to move my desk around," I said, then realized that I was giving him information about my life…and was actually comfortable doing so, something that I hadn't expected.

He snorted.

"'Boss that hates you'? Did you do something to make her hate you, or does she just hate you for no reason?" he asked.

"I did something to make her hate me, though it wasn't on purpose," I said. When I saw the expression on his face – one that said, '_come on, tell_ – I began to explain.

"About two weeks after I began working there, the manager of the place, Mr. Pearson, decided that I would be the person to proof an article from one of the writers. I forgot what the article was, but I, when I was proofing it, saw that the guy had mentioned something that I knew was untrue and could ruin the reputation of the paper. So I let Mr. Pearson know, and he fired the guy.

"I felt a bit horrible afterwards, having thought he was just going to fire people for getting an article wrong and the fact that I was told to write the report, but one of the senior reporters let me know that he had it coming, as he just couldn't seem to get anything right.

"Of course, I found out later that it was Ms. Goodmen's grandson I had gotten fired. When she found ou that I was responsible for it, she became my worse enemy."

Emmett laughed.

"You want to know something else?" I asked him. He nodded his head.

"I was actually relieved at first when I heard he was fired, as it meant I wouldn't have to deal with him trying to ask me out for the hundredth time. He just did get the fact that I kept saying no, and was always asking me, almost eight times a day."

"Well, why didn't you go out with him?" Emmett asked.

This time, it was my turn to snort.

"Two reasons," I started. "One, he wouldn't ask me out. He'd ask my breasts. Two, he would asked all the girls in the office that question. He was a pig, acted like he was god's gift to women, and never seemed to think we were serious when we said no."

I smirked.

"Of course, once I ended up getting him fired, he would always ignore me. I think he took me getting him fired as a huge slap to his ego, and my way of saying 'no', as if I hadn't been saying it since we first met."

Emmett laughed at that.

"That reminds me of someone Edward and I went to school with. What was his name?" he asked.

"Mike Newton," I answered as I through almost an entire drawerful of lingerie that I didn't even have to go through to know I would use; I still did so anyways, discovering that my thoughts were indeed right. Surprisingly, I wasn't embarrassed at all for going through the lingerie and undergarments with him there.

"Your kidding me, right?" he suddenly asked. I looked over at him sharply.

"No, why?" I asked.

"That's the name of the guy we went to school with as well," he answered. I couldn't help but laugh as well, since, from the sounds of it, Mike hadn't changed since school.

"Was he a friend of yours or something?" I asked, rolling my eyes as he dropped the dress in favor of holding up stretch lace open-bust teddy in dark green. I didn't even need to read his mind to know that he was thinking about how that would look on someone, though the who that someone is was unknown to me.

"If you know someone whose my size and could use this, I suggest you grab what you want. I would suggest you grab from the lingerie for the most part, as those will just go into the trash," I told him. He was quick in snatchin up the pile, saying, "No, no need to throw it away. I'm sure Rose wouldn't mind a few new pieces."

I didn't bother asking who Rose was, figuring she was either a girlfriend or fuck buddy; either way, it wasn't really my business.

I continued to go through my clothes as we talked, and I was glad to discover that there were a few undergarments that I woud be able to keep, all of them modest and in what I considered to be good colors. The yellows, oranges, and golds, of course, didn't make it into the keep pile.

Emmett kept on grabbing the things he figured 'Rose' would like from the charity pile. He had tried to grab somethings from the keep pile, only to have his hand smacked. After having gone through everything, I had Emmett take off all of the hangers that I left on the not keeping stuff while putting away the things I would keep.

"Computer time," I told him. He was quick in setting up the laptop for me, and, in no time at all, I was on.

* * *

"There is no way you really needed to get some of those dresses," Emmett said to me just as was finishing up with my online shopping. I ignored him, as he had been saying that since he saw the first site I even went to. I already knew that he was right, but I also knew that what I needed and what I wanted were different things. Besides, Edward had asked that I get formal clothes, and while I didn't believe that the ones that I had chosen were what he was thinking, they were formal.

I had gone to all the sites that I usually would just look at what they had on them as opposed to what I was doing now, and had done what I always wished I could when I looked through them. I bought what I wanted, including some of the jewelry and shoes. Once I had finished replacing the clothes and gotten a few jewelry pieces and a couple pairs of shoes, I had started looking for some music, books, and some movies that I had been wanting but had yet to get.

"Exactly how much would you wear out of everything you got?" he asked.

"I will wear it, now leave me alone," I finally snapped at him. I felt sorry almost immediately afterwards, but, before I could say anything, in apology, the door to the room opened.

"Hey, Emmett, Edward needs you to do something for him," the person, a man, said. I recognized him as one of the blondes that had been here when I had tried to escape.

Emmett quickly turned towards me.

"Please make sure that you keep the stuff for Rose separate when you bag up all of the unwanted clothes. I'll be back later to grab it," he told me before leaving. The blonde guy, who I expected to leave with him, surprise me by walking into the room.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm here to take Emmett's place in watching you," he answered back, sounding terribly formal. I wasn't sure if I would end up liking him as I did Emmett; then, he said something that surprised me.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – Jasper, James, and Alec**

* * *

"Are you another person who doesn't care for Alice?" he said. Looking at him confused, he looked pointedly at the piles of clothes on the bed.

"It looks like you don't care much for Alice's choice of clothing," he said. I started at him; unlike everyone else who had…questioned the whole 'I don't want this wardrobe Alice picked' had seemed to think that there was something wrong with me. At least, Emmett had, as Edward hadn't seemed all that surprised over this fact, making me wonder if he had only gone with allowing Alice to do so because Alice was the so called fashion director for the women around.

At least, that's what Emmett had told me when I asked why he had seemed so surprised over my not liking Alice's choice of clothing. Apparently, every female who worked for Edward had her clothes picked by Alice. My answer to that had been I wasn't working for him; though I was going to fight it all the way, Edward wanted me to marry him. Emmett had shut up after that.

Now, however, the guy in front of me didn't sound disbelieving over the fact that I hadn't just allowed Alice to have say in what I wear; if anything, he sounded amused.

"No, I don't," I answered, waiting for him to say something else about it; what, I wasn't sure.

"That's good. I thought that Edward and Emmett were stupid to let her try to control what you wear," he said. "It's just a way of Alice trying to excert control over you anyways."

"You sound as if you know something about Alice that the others either don't know, or refuse to think about," I commented. "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that we haven't been introduced. I'm Jasper. And my knowledge of Alice comes from the fact that I used to date her. We were actually supposed to be married," he said. I could tell right away that the marriage that was supposed to happen hadn't, and wondered why.

"What happened?" I asked, my curiousity rousing itself once more. Then, I realized that it might be a subject that he didn't want to talk about, and was about to apologize when he spoke.

"No, you don't need to apologize," he said, and I was stunned when it did, as if he had read my mind.

"I honestly don't mind telling you what happened. In fact, I think it would be better so your not left in the unknown when it comes to certain things in this family."

He walked over towards the empty chair Emmett had been sitting in, taking it over for himself.

"I met Alice about six years ago, when I first applied to work for Edward. I have to admit, I was intrigued by her a bit when we first met, and had found myself on a date with her within a week. We dated for about two years before I asked her to marry me."

"What happened after that?" I asked.

"She started to become distant not long after, making excuses not to go places with me. She would also forget to wear the ring I got her. However, I didn't think that anything was wrong until one day when I saw her wearing a different ring that I hadn't gotten her. I didn't say anything, so I don't know if she knew I saw it, but, after that, I began to follow her without her notice, though I could tell that Edward and Emmett knew.

"I was surprised when they didn't act like I was doing something wrong, though I could tell they were puzzled, leading me to believe that I was the only one who was seeng her distance. Edward was the one who was even more puzzled over my sudden suspicion over Alice, but I think that had more to do with their family connection over anything else.

"It was a week after they found out that I was following Alice that I found her with another man, one who was in the same boat that I was, which I found out after I confronted her. Turns out, she was playing us both, and had even agreed to marry the both of us. After we discovered her…_affairs_, we both broke up with her, and went our own ways."

He looked at me, having been staring off into space then.

"I'm now involved with Edward's and Alice's step-sister, Bree. And I see the guy who Alice played around with when she was with me on a daily bases, as he also works for Edward. In fact, from what I hear, your friends with his sister, Jane. Like me, he's found someone else…" he trailed off as the pieces came together in my head.

"Jane's older brother James, right?" I asked, gaining a nod of his head. I silently shook my head in amusement, marveling just how much of a small world this place was.

"We usually prefer not having Alice around when the both of us are here, so as long as James and I are needed here, there is less of a chance of Alice staying here," he said. I looked at him, confused.

"Why does Alice being here matter or not?" I asked.

"I know that the others would saying something that about me being crazy, but, from what I've seen, Edward is the only person besides their father that Alice seems to like and treat properly. If it wasn't for their family connection, I would say that Alice had a crush on Edward," he said, before leaning a bit closer to me.

"I've seen how Alice acts around the few women that Edward has causally dated, and it's the same way a jealous woman acts when they see the guy they want with someone else."

"She didn't seem like that when she came to get me," I said to him.

He held up one of the not wanted clothes that Alice had gotten me.

"It was probably because Johnson was sent with her, as Pug is still in the stages where he doesn't know better about how she is with me, because she's usually not so bad at choosing clothes for women. She usually gets a person what would look good on them, but, from the looks of this, she didn't do too good of a job."

He held it up to me, tisking as he compared the bright green and yellow color to my skin.

"Somethimg tells me that if you wore this, it would make you look a bit sick or make your skin look sallow. If you've seen what the other girls wear that Alice picks out for them, you would know that Alice wouldn't do something like this unless it was on purpose. I think even Edward notice, since, from what I hear, he just gave you the card without fighting about it; he usually trusts what Alice gets too much to not ask for more of a reason than 'I won't wear what she got me' reason that you told him."

He stopped there, thinking about something else.

"Then again, with you, he might of even if she had gotten you something that you would wear. He seems to act a bit differently around you than he has to other women he's dated in the past."

"Has he wanted to marry any of them?" I asked. I could tell that the point – that the only reason why he was acting differently with me over with them was the fact that he had different intentions with me – was understood as he gave a sort of 'I see your point' look to me.

"So, how does Alice feel about you being with her step-sister?" I asked.

"She's pissed, but mostly because she was unable tempt me back into her bed when she found out. Alice prefers to be in control when it comes to men, and thinks she can do whatever she wants. The fact that I refused her has mad it clear that I don't really care much for her anymore, something that she just doesn't seem to understand that much," he said.

"She sounds very…vain," I commented. "So, I think we should finish this up so they can be sent out to a shelter. Oh, keep the lingerie separate as well. And Emmett had gone through some of these for his girl Rose, so this pile right here goes to him."

I pointed to each of the three piles left, as I put the pile of keeping clothes away already. I wasn't too discreet in moving the subject away from Alice; I really didn't care to learn much more about Alice. What I was just told about her seemed to tell me that she was a bitch. However, I would reserve my opinion until I actually met her for longer than an errand.

The bagging the clothes was done quicker than she thought, though it seemed that they weren't really all that concered with being nice about it Grabbing the bags, he led us to the kitchen, where the other blonde man from that night was at.

"Hey James, which do you want, watching Ms. Swan –" Jasper started before I interrupted.

"Bella," I said. Ms. Goodmen was the only one who ever referred to me as Ms. Swan, and I never liked being called it; I preffered people calling me by my name, not my last name.

"Bella," corrected himself, looking at me for a second before turning back to James, "or do you want to take these two bag to a woman's charity."

"I'll take the watching job, for now," he said, and, if Jasper hadn't told me that both of them had been played by Alice, I would have never guess, since they acted like the best of friends.

"'For now'?" Jasper quoted.

"Yeah, Victoria and I have a date in half-an-hour," James said. Jasper looked a bit worried for a second.

"I'm not sure how long finding a place for these will take, and she can't be left alone…"Jasper trailed off. I bristled at the fact that I apparently had to be baby-sat, but kept my mouth shut. I did tell Edward that I would have a companion of his choice with me at all times, though I didn't know if I really cared about the fact that I had to be shuffled around like this. I would have at least thought he would get someone who could stay with me the whole time.

Then again, if he did say I wasn't allowed to be left alone, I could see why they wouldn't want to be stuck with me all day. I wasn't exactly exciting, especially when I didn't really have anything to do.

"I'll bring her to Alec then. He's been wanting to meet her for awhile anyways," James said, passing by Jasper to my side.

"So go get whatever it is that you need to get done," he finished, before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and turning me around. He walked us out of the room, heading towards the music room.

"Why don't we wait here for a while. Maybe get to know each other until it's time to hand you off to Alec," he said, opening he door and guesturing me into the room. I walked through, and went to sit on the piano bench, while leaned up against the wall.

"What do you want to know? Unless your going to be the one to share," I said. He thought for a moment, then said, "I supposed Jasper already told you about Alice, right?"

I nodded my head.

"I also supposed you might be wondering how it is that it wasn't until after she had excepted our proposals that we found out about her deception," he continued. I had to admit, he was right on the mark about that one. I mean, they're both working for Edward, how was it that she was able to hide the fact that she was with one or the other when they would most likely be around each other.

The only thing I didn't like was the fact that he was automatically assuming I wanted to know; of course, I did want to know. I waited for him to speak, but he said nothing. Then, I realized that he was waiting for confirmation that I wanted to know; at least, I think he was.

"So how was it that you didn't know about each other until that moment?" I asked, appeasing him and my curiousity.

"Back then, I was actually working for Edward's father, had been working for him for a few years. And, while I knew about Edward, I had only met him, and those with him, briefly. Plus, Alice had convinced me that her parents and family wouldn't agree with us being together, something that was stupid to believe, now that I really think about it…" he continued on, telling me his side of the story. I had to admit, I did agree with the fact that he had been an idiot, and I felt only a bit sorry for him upon the discovery that she was playing with him.

Mostly, I thought he was an idiot for not noticing that there was something wrong sooner than he actually did. I mean, really, telling him to hide a relationship from those he worked with should have brought up warning flags that she had something to hide.

He looked at his watch to check the time before mentioning that we had been talking together for at least twenty minutes; at least, he had been talking, for all I had been doing is listening, and I couldn't find it in me to be unhappy at the fact that I would be getting away from him. He talked to much for me to care much about him.

I was nice enough, However, not to betray my impatience of wanting to get away from him, and allowed him to lead me to the library, despite the fact that I remembered were it was without any help. It was just as grand and impressive as I remembered it to be, though this time, unlike last time, there was someone else in the room.

James left me there, not bothering to introduce me to the person in the room. Though, I really didn't need it, as I had a feeling as to who it was – Alec, Jane's other brother. I started forward, as Alec had looked up towards me when the door had shut behind James.

"Hi, you must be Alec, right?" I said, holding out my hand to shake his. I studied him, surprised at that fact that, despite his relation to James and Jane, he didn't look much like them. Where they had light blond hair, Alec's was a medium brown, and his eyes were more hazel than the green that Jane and James had. However, a futher study showed that they all had the same facial structure, and I could see similarities in Alec's manners that I had seen in Jane.

"Yes. And your Isabella, right?" he answered, shaking my offered hand.

"Just Bella," I corrected him, smiling slightly. He offered a seat to me, only sitting down once I was, almost like an old fashion gentleman would do.

"So, Bella, how much do you like to read?" he asked me, and with that single sentence, we started a conversation about books. We didn't stick to one type of books – he, like me, liked to read many genres of books, even ones that another man would be embarrassed for others to know.

We had many liked books in common, and, throughout our talk, rarely disagreed on what books were good and what weren't. He offered me some optional reads that he might think I would enjoy, and, though our talk had shone that he had read most of the same stories I had, I was able to give him a few options as well. The books that I had suggested were ones that I had seen in my private library, of course, and I offered to let him use them.

I heard the door open behind me, but found the conversation I was having with Alec to stimulating, as we had moved from talking about books that are made into movies, how much they differ, and which ones are better as a movie, and which are better as a book.

"Bella," the quiet voice broke into the conversation. I turned to see Jane standing behind me.

"Mr. Edward told me to tell you that it's time for dinner," Jane told me. I looked over to the clock on the wall to see that Alec and I had been talking for quite a while, and that it was even later than dinner was usually served. However, that thought was only on a small part of my mind, as I didn't want to quite leave Alec, not finished with our conversation.

But I also knew that Edward wouldn't like waiting, and sighed, turning towards Alec.

"It was nice talking to you," I said, giving him a small smile. "I hope we can continue this conversation later."

"I'll be here, usually, unless I have something to do," Alex said, holding out his hand once more. He helped me from the seat I was in and walked me to the door, opening it as he bowed. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I told him thank you, a smile that was still on my face as I walked into the dining room.

"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked.

"Just had a nice conversation with Alec," I told him, my good mood simmering down a bit. Like Emmett, Alec was the kind of person I could see myself being friends with; the only difference between them was the fact that I actually forgot about the fact that Alex had to watch me. I couldn't forget that fact about Emmett when I was with him this morning.

I went to sit down, sudden't feeling a bit ravenous. However, before I could sit down, Edward pulled me towards him.

"Hey –" I started, only to have his mouth cover mine. I made a sound of surprise, and immediately fought back against him. He had no right to just kiss me like this. I hadn't given him permission. While I had kissed him before, I had only done it because of the bet; at least, that was what I was telling myself.

He was aggressive, not even allowing himself to be removed from myself. I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me as I felt my back hit the wall. This kiss was beginning to overwhelm me, as it was a passionate one. His tongue entered my mouth a bit forcefully, immediately seeking mine out. It swept through my mouth, leaving no crevice untouched.

He finally pulled away, breathing just as heavily as I was. I wasn't fighting him anymore, nor was I pushing him away, and his body was flushed against mine. I gasped lightly as I felt his excitement against my stomach, and pushed him away then.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked him, my voice slightly shaky. I was leaning against the wall, feeling as if my legs wouldn't hold my weight if I tried to make them, an effect I was just noticing now.

He didn't say anything, just mentioned for me to sit down. I frowned at him, but knew that I wasn't going to get an answer right now, nor did I want to wait before eating something. My stomach groaned in hunger, as if agreeing with me, and I sat down.

I'd re ask my question later, after eating.

* * *

**_I have started redoing this fic, and have posted the first chapter up on my AO3 account._**

**_Strange Hearts_**


	4. Old Story III

_**Story was called Incubus.**** Took it down because of Writer's Block, and me wanting to redo it.**  
_

* * *

**Knowing**

* * *

"Dad, I think I just saw someone collapse in the street!"

Those were the words that started everything. Isabella 'Bella' Swan had pointed the person out to her father, Chief Swan, as they were driving home. He immediately pulled over to the side, jumping out of the car, and running the few feet back to where a young man laid on the opposite side of the road.

Bella followed him, a first aid kit in her arms as she hurried to her father's side.

"Is he alright?" she asked, her voice sweet in it's innocence. She looked at the guy, feeling a small blush appear on her cheeks as she saw how handsome he was. Her eyes traveled his body, searching for something to show why he had suddenly collapsed, but she didn't find anything on his legs, or abdomen.

It was near his arms and chest that she saw some wounds which her father was already cleaning and bandaging. She comtinued upward, taking a glance at his face before leaving it, only to look back in shock. She felt her eye furrow when she saw that his eyes were closed; she could have sworn that they were open just a minute ago.

She glanced over at her father to discover that he hadn't noticed anything, and looked back at the unconscious man's face. His eyes were still closed. She shook her head before focusing her attention on her father.

"Bella, go open the back door. We're going to bring him home with us, okay," he said. She quickly got up, opening the back door of the cruiser as her father carried and placed him in there.

Then, they were off.

* * *

He had to work hard to keep the smile off of his face as the foolish mortals brought him inside their home. His plan had worked perfectly, now all he had to do was get the girl alone, everything would be perfect.

He internally smiled, overjoyed at how well his plan was going so far. Every since he saw the girl over four years ago, he had been waiting for this. He had know that she was the one for him with just that one glance. And it was just after that one glance that he had begun to plan.

The first pasrt of the plan was the easiest; find out everything about her. He had used his resources to get every legal document about her, such as hospital papers, birth certificate, school grades. Then, he had begun following her, stalking her for lack of better term. He discovered everything that he could about her.

He knew that she was clumsy beyond belief. He knew that she preffered a good book to a party, and classical music to rap. He knew that she like female fronted bands, mostly of the gothic persuation, when she wasn't listening to classical. Her favorite score was Swan Lake, her favorite song 'Walking on Air'. Her favorite band was Epica, her favorite singer Kerli. She also liked to listen to j-pop when she wanted something more upbeat.

He knew that she had two favorite mystical creatures, unicorns for the light creatures, vampires for the dark. He knew what he favorite animal was – a white tiger.

He knew what her favorite genres where when it came to her books. She like classics, contemporary romances, supernatural romances, historical romances, and mysteries. Her favorite books, well she had a favorite for most her favorite genres. Her favorite classic was Dracula. Her favorite contemporary, Flirting With Danger. Her favorite supernatural, The Undead Next Door. As for mystery and historical romance, she loved anything written by Charlaine Harris for mysteries, and Victoria Alexander, Jillian Hunter, and Suzanne Enoch when it came to Historicals – though, her favorite contemporary was also from this author.

He knew that she didn't care much for watching television and movies when it was compared to reading, but he knew that she did enjoy certain TV shows and movies. She loved Murder, She Wrote reruns, as well as Charmed, Buffy, and House. Her favorite movies were Phantom of the Opera, the newest version; Prom Night, Labyrinth, Mirrormask, Lord of the Ring, and The Ultimate Gift.

Of course, he also knew more about her than the mere favorites of things she liked.

He knew that she was more of a mother than a child, even at the age of ten. She was the one who cooked, who cleaned, who didn't really have a life. He knew her mother had abandoned her for a younger man, and broken her trust.

He knew that he father, while he wasn't the best in the world, loved her, and took care of her, though it didn't seem to show all that much.

He knew that she wasn't comfortable around males other than her father. He knew that she hated Jacob, a boy that her father wished she would date, simply because she didn't feel anything for him.

He knew that she had never had a boyfriend.

He knew that she had never been kissed.

He knew that she was pure, untouched.

He knew she was a virgin.

He knew that what he was going to do could, and most likely would, destroy her. Problem was, he couldn't find it in himself to care, just as long as he got what he wanted. And he wanted her, forever.

* * *

It was around dinner time that he 'groaned' wake. Bella was the first one to walked into the living room where he sat up on the couch. Charlie followed after her. After a few minutes of assuring them that he was fine, and tuning down a plate of Bella's cooking with a simple explaination of a complex diet, he managed to get Charlie convinced to take him to the motel that he was staying at.

It took two hours for Charlie to drop him off to the motel that he was stayin at. It took a minute for Charlie to see that he was leaving town in a silver Volvo. It took another minute to hide said Volvo were no one would see it, and run all the way back into town.

It took ten minutes to get several fires started enough that everyone was called, including Charlie.

And it only took mere seconds for him to be back in her house once again.

* * *

**Rape**

* * *

Bella was at home waiting for her father to return as she finished cleaning the dishes when she thought she heard a noise up in her room. Curiosity gripped her as she walked up the stairs, wondering what it was. She checked her father's bedroom, tilting her head when she saw nothing was out of place.

Going to the bathroom, she deducted that the noise had come from her own room. Without a second thought, she walked through her own bedroom door, her eyes immediately zooming in on the book that had obviously fallen from wher she put it. Shaking her head lightly, she walked over and picked it up.

She didn't realize that she wasn't alone in the room until she heard the door snap shut.

Jumping as her heart began to race, she went to turn around only to be stopped by the arm that wrapped around her waist, trapping her own to her sides as she was brought back against a cold, muscled chest. Her mouth opened to scream, only to have a hand cover it, blocking all sound from escaping.

Silent tears began to leak from her eyes as fear caused her body to tense. She felt something poke her lower back, and harsh breathing in her ear as she was turned towards the door and lowered onto her bed with herself seating into the person's lap. The think that was poking her disappeared only to reappear with it now poking her butt.

She squirmed, uncomfortable and trying to get away, when she heard the person growl into her ear. She immediately stilled, scared, as she heard a dark chuckle next to her ear.

"Good girl," whoever it was said. The voice was male and sounded a bit familiar, but she couldn't place it. She felt them shifting again until she was pressed down on her bed, face almost being smothered by her pillow until she turned her head she felt him sit on her back. The corner of a blanket was shoved into her mouth to keep her silent as he grabbed her arms and tied them together behind her back.

Seemingly satisfied, he pulled the blanket out of her mouth, immediately covering it with his hand as he got off of her, rolling her over until she was on her back and looking right at him. A gasp left her as she recognized him. It was the man who had been hurt, the one who had left.

A whimper left her as she realized that he must have tricked her father, for Charlie had told her that he was leaving, heading for Port Angeles last he saw. Another whimper left her throat as he once again strattled her, her arms digging into her back. He paused, realizing that tying her arms behind her wasn't the greatest idea if he was going to sit on her like this, and moved, pulling her up until his mouth was next to he ear.

"If you scream or fight, I will not only kill whoever hears, but I will also kill your father in front of you in the most gruesome way imaginable, understand?" he said in her ear, his voice telling her that he would indeed do as he said. Panic shot through her as she nodded her head. The minute his hand moved away, she began begging.

"Please let me go, please, who ever you are," she said, her voice quivering with emotion. The main emotion that she was feeling, however, was fear. It pour from her in waves. Edward could feel and smell it, but he just let out a chuckle. He didn't want to let her go, he felt that he had waited to long for this, and he wasn't going to wait anymore.

"Sh, now, now. My name is Edward. And, Bella, I'm not going to let you go. I just got you, why would I want to do something stupid like that," he said, untying her hands, and pushing her down. He quickly removed her shirt and bra before retying her hands to her head board. Without meaning to she let out a startled scream, which was quickly muffled by his hand.

The tears running down her face began to double in force, blurring her eyesight. She felt sick as his other hand began to touch and trace her breast. Despite her age, her breast were rather big, a size C that had sprouted overnight – at least, that was how she felt about them.

Both of his hands were on her breast now, squeezing them rather painfully. The whimpers that left her mouth all sounded pained. His hands finally moved to her shoulders, allowing her to finally have a chance to ask the one question that had begun to burn in her mind.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, lips trembling. He froze as he realized that she had no idea what he wanted of her.

"Oh, Bella, I'm sorry. I seem to have forgotten to tell you," he said, pulling off his shirt before laying down on her so that his chest was pressed against hers. She couldn't help the gasp that left her lips as his cold chest met with her warm one.

"Your going to be my mate, Bella," he said so matter of factly that Bella couldn't help but stare at him as if he was crazy. He continued to talk as if he didn't notice.

"You see, Bella, ever since I saw you four years ago, I've wanted you. I could tell that you were different from the others around you, so smart and so beautiful. I began following you, discreetly, of course, to discover just how different you were. You don't belong with anyone in your world, you deserve everything you want.

"That's why I decided that you would become my mate. I always knew that you would be mine, the minute I saw you. Now, normally, I would wait, but I couldn't wait anymore, especially when I saw just how quickly you grew. Despite your age, you've matured in body and mind.

"That's why I'm here. I want you so badly, and it's time that impregnate you with my seed and vemon."

Here eyes widened as what he was saying came to her. He had been watching her, stalking her, and he had just admitted to it like he was talking about the weather, unaffected about it. But that wasn't the worst of what he had said. Despite her young age, she knew exaclt was impregnate meant, and knew that he was going to rape her.

"No, no,no, no, no, NO, NO," she began to say, repeating it until she was sreaming it. He was quick in silencing her, holding her mouth with his hand as he looked for something to keep her from being heard. She was struggling now, trying to free her arms as her face swung side to side in an attempt to free her mouth. He just pressed down harder until she couldn't move her face. Desperate sobs were coming from her.

He finally found something to gag her with, and shoved it into her mouth, once again cutting off her screams. He got off of her, grabbing her legs so he could finish removing her clothes. She kicked at him, but it didn't seem to do any harm as he finally got her jeans and panties off, leaving her naked underneath his gaze.

She immediately closed and bend her legs, desperately trying to hide from his gaze, but he was having none of that as he quickly finished unclothing himself and pulled her legs apart. She began kicking, trying to hurt him, but he wasn't having that as he managed to maneuver himself between her legs.

Panicked even more, she struggled even more, tears running non-stop down her face. Her head was shaking side to side, saying 'no' when her voice couldn't. However, like everything she had done before, he ignored her, though he did give her the grace of removing her gag, replacing it with his hand.

She heard him murmur something that sounded like "Must hurry, not much time left," as she felt him place something hard between her legs, touching her private place. Pushing himself forward, he entered and stretched her, breaking past her virgin barrier. Blood began to pool around his member, lubricating her as it slid out of her, dripping onto her pure white sheets.

Pained and terrified screams left her mouth, loud even through his hand. Her legs kicked at him as her hands struggled to free themselves from their binds. He didn't seem to notice her struggling, nor her screams, and he pounding into her, thrusting in and out of her at a fast pace.

Soon, his movements became rougher as he came closer and closer to the edge. His jaw was clenched as he felt the shifting in his mouth, he teeth enlongating as his eyes began to burn crimson. She didn't see them though; he had his eyes closed until he knew he was about ot cum.

Suddenly, his eyes opened, showing the now red irises to Bella as his teeth – now, sharp fangs – were also showing, eliciting new screams from her. Bella, her tear-stained face red with lack of oxygen, pushed her raw and sore throat to continue to make sound, hoping against hope that someone would hear her, though she was feeling more hopeless than she had ever felt at that moment.

She once again tried to move her hands to find them at his shoulders, untied from where they had been. Relieved to have their use, she pushed against his shoulders, trying to push him off of her. However, it didn't work at her right hand was suddenly restrained, pushed up agaist the pillow on which her head laid.

Her head was suddenly turned to the side, her throat bared to his gaze. Sharp pain entered her throat as even sharper pain went through her. It felt like something had entered her, both from her neck and from her private area. Feeling like she could throw up, she swallowed back the bile that had rose.

Several minutes had passed before he moved his face away from her throat, letting go of her mouth and hand as he pulled his now soft member out of her. To drained to do anything, Bella laid there, in physical and mental pain as her almost hollow eyes watch him, feeling even more afraid as she saw the blood that dripped from his lips onto his chest.

He felt bad, but not as much as he felt elated at having marked his mate. He wanted to take her home with him, to show her the mansion that she would live in with him, but decided to be nice. Stepping forward, he placed his hand on her forehead, ingnoring her whimper as he scrambled her brain, making her forget that he had come back, for he knew that she would immediately tell her father when he got home.

He would have erased her memory, but he wanted her to remember something about him, however horrible it might be. However, it would be to dangerous to leave her with a name or image to tell her father. He had no doubt that her father would do everything possible to kill the man who hurt his daughter. Add to the fact that her father knew what he looked like…well, lets just say that it would be bad.

Watching as her eyes slid close, he gave her a gentle kiss, placed a blanket on her to give her some cover, and ran out of the room, knowing he only had moments before she rewoke with her scrambled memories, promising an unspoken promise that he would come back in exactly one week for her as he disappeared into the forests.

* * *

**Finding**

* * *

Charlie Swan came home weary but triumphant. They had finally managed to put the fires out without losing much of the buildings. Walking into his house, he immediately expected Bella to still be in the kitchen, finishing up the dishes, so he could tell her the good news, but was dismayed to discover that she wasn't there.

Wondering where his daughter was, he headed upstairs to her room. Upon hitting the landing, he was already able to tell that something was wrong, feeling it. Quickening his pace to his daughter's room, a sense of forboding entered him. Swallowing hard against the lump that had somehow entered his throat, He turned the doorknob, taking a deep breath as he entered his daughters room.

The oxygen that he had just inhale rushed out of his body as if he had been slammed into my a Mack truck when his eyes laid upon his daughter. He felt his back hit the doorway behind him, his eyes wide with horror as he stared at the scene in front of him.

Blood, there was so much blood, at least, to his eyes. His precious little girl was on the bed, almost completely still that one would have thought she was dead except for the sobbing breaths that she took that showed movement, as well as the white knuckled grip on the sheets in her hands that were curled around her body.

Blood covered her entire neck and left shoulder, as well as the bedding where the area between her legs would be if she wasn't curled up into a ball on her side, facing him. Dark, bloodshot eyes rimmined with tears stared up at him, silently begging for something. In the light that spilled from the hallway, he could see the outline of a hand print over her mouth, as if whoever had done this had held her head down by her mouth, keeping her silent at the same time.

He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her as he gently picked her up, whispering "Sorry, hunny. I know it hurts" as he did so. Bella moaned in pain, her shaking increasing for a moment before she registered the scent of her father. Clinging to him, she sobbed harder, her tears finally being heard as he carried her out to the police vehicle, grabbing a spare blanket on the couch as he passed it, throwing it over her one handedly before placing his arm back under her knees.

She stayed clinging to him, her sobs shaking her with enough force that he felt a few of them shake him as well. Opening and placing her into the passenger seat of the cruiser, he had to fight her a bit in order to get her to let him go. He had to reassure her that he was only going to be gone for less than a minute to get her to let him go, and even then, she didn't do so fully.

It was only when he wrestled himself from her and ran to the other side of the car that he was able to drive them towards the hospital.

Once there, he once again picked her up, though she didn't show any much reconigtion of where she was at; her eyes were glassy and unfocused, still filled with tears though she was no longer shaking with sobs. He could tell that she was giving into the fatigue that had been surround her since he saw her, as well as the shock that was just waiting to happen.

The nurse immediately let him go through the doors when she saw them, knowing that it wasn't the best time to go through protocol, especially since, unknowingly to Charlie, Bella was still bleeding. Bella didn't protest when Charlie set her down, not longer conscious at that point. Her face was even paler than normal, and sweat was beginning to bleed through her forehead.

"She's lost a lot of blood. Get her on an IV now," the nurse who met them ordered, grabbing the bed that she was on, and wheeling it towards Intensive Care. Another nurse appeared right beside it, hooking up an IV with quick efficency despite the fact the first nurse didn't bother to slow down.

Charlie was left behind as they entered the Employees Only section of Intensive Care.

* * *

It was an hour later that the doctor came out and towards him. Charlie stood up.

"She's asking for you," the doctor said. They began to walk down the hall toward the room where she had been placed. Charlie looked at the doctor, wondering if he would need to wait any longer to discover what had happened to his precious flower. Luckily, the doctor knew what he wanted, though he was unsure whether he should tell him. However, one look at Charlie's face told him that he better, otherwise he would be in trouble.

"You daughter suffered from extreme blood loss. She has a wound on her shoulder, just at the curve to her neck. She was also sexually assaulted. There was some tearing on the inside of her vagina. We've collected a rape kit. She's also has multiple bruising on her wrists, legs, and on her face around her mouth, as well as on her breasts. Most of them are in the shape of handprints."

The doctor sighed.

"Whoever did this is one sick bastard," he said, allowing emotion to taint his voice as they got closer to Bella's room. Charlie nodded his head automatically, already thinking of things that he wanted to subject the one who had harmed his daughter to. They stopped in front of her room, and he was about to enter when the doctor stopped him.

"She on heavy pain killers, and will be sedated later to help her sleep tonight. We will be administrating it soon, so don't rile her up with questions. While I know that it's good to get all the facts while there fresh in her mind, I do not think that she is in any condition to answer anything," he said before leaving Charlie there.

Charlie hadn't needed to tell him that. He already knew not to. As much as he wanted to find out who it was that had done that to his daughter, he knew that – at that moment – Bella would just need him to be there.

Charlie took a deep breath, and entered the room…and almost turned right back around once again, only stopping when he heard his baby's voice calling out for him in a weak tone.

"I'm here," he said, his gruff voice soft as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her as best he could. It was hard to do, though, because of the many machines she was hooked up upon. He gave her a quick hug, and backed off, grabbing a chair and bringing it nearer to the bed.

He sat down in it, grabbing her hand and studying her. She had machines hooked up everywhere, as well as the IV that they had originally put her on when she first got there. Now cleaned, she looked pale, paler than she usually was, and sickly. The bruise around her mouth stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin, almost black in color.

Her normally lively brown eyes looked dull, as did she. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought someone had sucked the life from her…and then he remembered that someone had done that, in a way.

He wished that he could ask her who had done this to her, who had taken her light, but he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't his place. There were several things stopping him. One, he knew that she wasn't in a state to answer any questions, and trying to dredge up the memories could cause more harm than good. And two, he was too close to the victim, which could have disaterous results.

Being close to a victim when your trying to figure who hurt them was the main problem. Charlie felt murderous towards the person who had raped his little girl, and he knew that – if he was the one who had to deal with the suspects – he would most likely shoot first, question later…whether or not they were guilty.

No, he couldn't ask the question that he so wanted to so badly. Instead, he sat there, watching as she fell asleep from the drugs in her system, while a feeling of helplessness overtook him.

* * *

**Telling**

* * *

Bella woke up the next day, feeling loopy and scared, as she struggled to free herself from her nightmares. A seemingly shrill beeping sound was right next to her. It was something that seemed familiar to her, as did the smell of where she was. It only took several seconds before she remembered why it seemed so familiar; she was in the hospital.

_What am I doing here_ she asked herself silently and she struggled to sit up. Eyes now opened, she looked around her, discovering that she was, in fact, correct about her surroundings. Moving even more, she let out a gasp of pain. At first, she thought that the flash of pain that went through her was from the needles she now saw sticking out of her, but then – as she moved once more, being more careful this time – that it was coming from her abdomen, and a bit lower as well.

"Bella," she heard her father's voice say, and she looked toward the door where he stood. She saw his eyes widen in surprise before he rushed over to her, wrapping her up into his arms as carefully as he could. She hissed out in pain at the moment, and Charlie was quick to let her go.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically, looking her over. Bella frowned at his behavior. Did something happen to her that made him act this way. She couldn't remember what had happened yesterday very well, and the pain in her body, as well as Charlie's behavior made her extremely suspiscious.

"Dad, what's going on?" she asked. Charlie looked at her, slightly cautious as she said, "Bella, do you remember anything from yesterday? More specifically, yesterday night?"

She thought hard. There was something there, in the back of her mind, but it seemed as if it was being blocked, her inner voice telling her that she really didn't want to remember. She stopped try for a moment to ask, "Is it important?"

Charlie sadly shook his head, knowing exactly why his daughter was unable to remember and confused. It was a rather common defense reflex for a rape victim to not want to remember what happened, and force it out her her mind subconsciously. While he wished that she didn't have to remember it, he knew that it wasn't a good thing for her to continue doing.

For one, her not remembering could make it hard to find the guy who did this, since his semen – and here, anger twisted in him for a second while Bella looked towards the windows – hadn't yielded any results. They were hoping that she would be able to provide some details about what he looked like.

The second reason was mostly for her. Even if she didn't consciously remember, she would in her subconscious. It was something that would cause her nightmares, though, of course, she would probably still have them anyways. It would just be better for her to know what happened to her than to believe she was just losing her mind.

"Yes. Bella, it is," he answered, going over to sit on the chair that he had left by her bed earlier. She frowned, and began thinking once again, closing her eyes. Once again, the same inner voice said that she didn't want to know , but she ignored it, pushing on through her head.

Snatches of what happened yesterday came to her, and she found herself shaking as she quickly opened her eyes. Tears were overwhelming her eyes as she looked up at her father, hoping that what she had just experience wasn't true, but the look on his face told her that there was no hope.

She looked down once again, her eyesight blurry with tears as she twisted her fingers together, now noticing something that she hadn't before; a bruise, in the shape of a hand, wrapped around both wrists, as if the force used was from pulling her over a long distance…or holding her down as she struggled.

"How…how bad was it? The damage, I mean," she asked, quietly. It took Charlie a second to realize exactly what she was asking, and he crossed the room to wrap her up into his arms. She broke down sobbing, holding onto him tightly as the tears flowed.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until she was all cried out, sniffles coming out as she let him go. He moved away, sitting down before acknowledging her previous question.

He answered her, not leaving anything out. He knew his daughter well enough to know that doing so would be an insult to her, and – after what had happened – he wasn't going to add an insult while she was injured. Besides, even if he lied, she would find out the truth. All she really had to do was look in a mirror.

Bella listened as he told her, flinching slightly as she listened to what the doctor had said about her injuries, and finding herself agreeing with their sentiments. The guy who did this to her was definitely a bastard. However, it was the last bit of news that was given to her that she showed signs of distress.

According to the doctor, the damage was so bad that the chances of her ever being able to have a child were extremely low. While that could be considered good news, as she most definitely didn't want to give birth to a child from that bastard, the real meaning of the words had penetrated her mind.

She would probably never be able to have children ever. The little family that she would sometimes envision she would want in the future was practically gone. Sure, the doctor didn't straight up say she would never be able to have children, but the chances of her ever conceiving were extremely low, so he might as well have said that.

Once the doctor had said his piece, he asked to talk to Charlie separately for a moment, and they left, walking out the door so there was little chance of her hearing them.

Not that she cared, though. No, her mind was too into her thoughts to really even notice. She had brought her thoughts away from the thought of children, bringing them to last night. She knew that her father wasn't going to just let this disappear. She knew that the reason why her father had told her that it was important to remember; she knew that her father wouldn't leave this issue alone.

He would insist on having her rapist behind bars, though she knew that he wouldn't be the one to do so. He couldn't; he was more likely to kill the guy than throw him in jail, which would get him into trouble.

So, she tried to see if she could completely remember what happened. It wasn't easy; in fact, it was downright hard, almost next to impossible. That's to say she didn't remember being raped – the act itself was there, as well as the pain – but every time she tried to remember something about her attacker, it was like something was thrown over her eyes. She was beginning to suspect that she had either been blindfolded, or it had been to dark to see, though everything in her was telling her that she was wrong.

Something else that was strange was the fact that she could remember that there had been words spoken between them, though she was positive that he was the one who had said the most when it came to those words. The fact that she couldn't remember what those word were exactly, though, was what had her worried; she just knew that they had been important.

She gave up when her father walked back into the room, followed by two other people, both wearing suits. Her eyes immediately zoned in on them, taking them both in. One was a woman, with dark auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail, green eyes, and tanned skin. She was tall, only a few inches shorter than her partner. She wore a light grey skirt suit with matching heels.

The other was a male. Wearing a dark blue suit with black shoes, he also wore a stern expression, which scared Bella a bit. From they way the two stood, Bella guessed that the woman was more in charge than he male, for he stood several inches behind her.

"Hello," the woman began, and Bella could hear a distinct accent in the tone, though she couldn't figure where she had heard it before, "I'm Detective Liana Argeneau, and this is my partner, Detective Gray Kenyon. I take it your Charlie Swan and Isabella Swan?"

Charlie answered her, stating that they were indeed the two people the detectives were looking for. Bella stared at them, waiting for the questions that she was sure they would ask. However, she was surprise when Liana turned to her father and said, "I am afraid that I am gong to have to ask you to leave the room. I will be asking her questions alone. Gray will be questioning you in another room. If you are uncomfortable to leave your daughter alone in a room with me, we can have one of the doctors in here."

Charlie looked as if he was about to object not being allowed in the room, but one look at the detective's face told him that objecting would be no use; he wasn't going to be allowed in the room at all, and, if he tried to argue, he would get into a lot of trouble. Not only that, but he knew that they did have a good reason for kicking him out; it would be a good idea if he didn't hear what she had to say – though, of course, there reasoning was a lot different than what he thought.

So, after saying that he didn't believe a doctor would be nessessary – mostly out of the fact that the doctor that had treated her probably would be able to come in, and that was really the only doctor, besides females, that he believed Bella would be comfortable around – he gave Bella a small kiss on her forehead, and followed Gray out of the room.

Bella, who had followed the conversation, had felt a bit nervous when she heard that her father wouldn't be allowed into the room, but that nervousness washed away when Liana said that the other detective wouldn't be in the room. She was also glad that he father had said that a doctor would not be needed in the room, though her reasons for that private joy were much different compared what he father came up with; she would prefer that what happened to her remain as private as possible, not wanting others to pity her.

She gingerly sat up as best as she could as Liana came to seat where her father had been sitting moments before. Settling down in the seat, Liana pulled out a notepad and pen before looking up to Bella. She winced now that she got a good look at the young girl. Before, she hadn't been paying her much attention, focused instead on the father, but now…

The way Bella looked tugged at Liana's heartstrings. Between the bruises and the way she seemed to draw into herself slightly, it was enough to make anyone pity her. However, for someone who was faced with things like this almost all the time, it wasn't those things that tugged at Liana; it was the way Bella tried to be brave, the way Bella wasn't freaking out.

The biggest factor, however, was Bella's unshielded eyes, where Liana could see the pain and anguish from her rape, as well as something else Liana had hardly ever seen in the eyes of a rape victim: complete and utter defeat. While used to seeing defeat in the eyes of others, this defeat seemed different, so much more real. In truth, it was kind of hard to describe.

Taking a deep breath, she new that she needed to get her priorities straight. She was there on a job, there to ask questions in hoping to find the person who had harmed this innocent girl. Settling the pen against the paper, she opened her mouth.

"Isabella Swan," she started, waiting until she was sure that she had Bella's attention. "Miss Swan, I'm going to be asking you some questions about your attack. I would like it if you would answer them to the best of your abilities. Okay?"

Bella nodded, steeling herself so she would be able to answer. She knew that this had to be done, and knew that she need…no, wanted to do it. Even if it was too late for her, she didn't want this bastard to do this again. If it meant having to dredge up memories she wished she didn't have to do that, she would.

"Good. All right then, lets get started. Can you tell me what happened last night?"

Bella thought, biting her bottom lip as she went through her memories before stopping at what she thought was the beginning.

"I was cooking dinner. Dad had just been called to help put out some fires that had sprung up everywhere. I had just finished when I heard a noise upstairs. It sounded as if something had fell, and I thought it might have been book, so I went up to see which one it was.

"I don't remember if I turned on the light. All I remember is that I saw a book on the floor, and went to pick it up. I remember setting it back down when the I heard the door shut, and I went to turn around. I was grabbed from behind, and my mouth was covered when I went to scream."

Here, Bella's voice trembled in remembered fear, tears beginning to gather in her eyes, though she didn't allow them to fall.

"I remember whoever it was bringing me over to the bed, and sitting me down in there lap. I can't remember if he said anything, only that there was something poking me while I was sitting in his lap. I wasn't in his lap long; he maneuvered us until I was under him, and my arms were trapped behind my back at the time."

Bella bit her lip, turning to look at Liana.

"What happened next?" Liana gently prompted. She knew that she needed to know this, but part of her wished that she hadn't been the one who volunteer for this. A feeling of uselessness was beginning to overcome her.

Bella, despite the fact that she didn't want to do this anymore, knew that she had to. So, swallowing hard, she continued.

"I think he may have blinded me in some way, because it's so blurry. All I can really remember is that he took my shirt and bra off, my hands were tied to the headboard, and that his hands on me, touching me over my clothes at one point. I think he may have threatened me; I don't think I screamed, even though I was free too.

"I remember begging him to let me go. He laughed, and squeezed my breasts hard. I think he said something else, too, but I can't remember. In fact, before he finished undressing me, I can only remember that I had started repeatedly saying 'no' until I was shouting it. It was then that he pressed his hand over my mouth, hard enough to keep me from moving my head.

"I remember that he gagged me for a moment so he wouldn't trying to kick him when he went to remove my pants and panties, but he grabbed my legs, and managed to get them off of me. Once I was naked, he moved and undressed himself before forcing himself between my legs.

"He removed the gag, but replaced it with his hand. Then he pushed into me."

She stopped once more, unable to continue as the full force of her memories hit her. Gasping as it was replayed over and over in her mind, she tried to continue.

"I-I c-can still re-re-remember how it hurt. H-he didn't sl-slow down at all."

That is where she stopped once more, but Liana, who had already heard enough, made a motion for Bella to stop with her hand. Rereading over what she had already written down while Bella desperately tried to get her breathing under control. Liana wished she could find something to help Bella out, as she was feeling useless once more. It was the same feeling that had overcome her during Bella's story, only milder.

It made her desperately wish that she really could help the girl out.

Shaking her head at that feeling, she quickly pushed on. She had to know if what she suspected was true.

"Do you remember if he did anything else?" she asked. Bella, now calmed, thought for a moment before hesitantly answering.

"I can't remember, but I think he may have bit me. I keep having a strange feeling of pain coming from my neck when I was giving you the…information," she said, bringing her hand up to her neck. It was only then that she realized that there was a bandage covering the area.

It drew Liana's attention, and she allowed her eyes to widen in surprise before pity began to overtake her. While she already knew that she wouldn't be able to help the girl out, she hadn't realized the actual truth of the matter; Isabella Swan's life hadn't just been changed in terms of innocence. It had been changed in terms that she couldn't even begin to describe.

Liana was unsure if it was for the better, or if how this change came would influence her, and make that change for the worse.

The only thing Liana knew was that she would be having a talk with someone…soon.

* * *

**Home**

* * *

It took another day before she was proclaimed heathly enough to go home. Quickly changing into the jeans and long sleeved shirt that Charlie had brought from home, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, grimancing slightly over the bags under her eyes. She hadn't slept well the night before. Memories of her attack had haunted her unconscious mind, now that it was no longer being hidden for her own good.

When she had managed to sleep, her nightmares reflected what had happened, though she never saw who it was that raped her. Dressing into the clothes that her father had brought her, she frowned when she noticed that her belly felt a bit firner than it really was, as if the fat of her stomach had become muscle.

Shrugging the thought off, she carefully walked out of the room, wincing as she felt flares of pain between her legs. She was glad to know that she wouldn't have to walk all the way to the car, as the nurse brought a wheelchar for her to sit in. Charlie pushed her down the hall and to the car, helping her into the seat.

Bella watched the scenery as it passed by, though she was not really seeing it. Instead, she was thinking about how she would feel being back in the room were her attack had happened. Would she be petrified to enter? Would the nightmares become worse? Would she constantly see the attack happen in front of her eyes, over and over again?

See the house, she bit her lip as she forced these thoughts from her mind. Opening the door herself, she slowly walked towards the door, regretting that they couldn't get a wheelchair for her to use a bit longer. Her body was repelling against her movement, telling her that it wanted to rest more.

She ignored it, walked up the steps to the front door, Charlie in front of her. Unlocking the door, he pushed the door open, and, almost immediately, she noticed something different. It took her a few moments to see that the downstairs bedroom – an add on to the house by her grandparents – had been opened up, something that wasn't usually done, as it wasn't used much. In fact, the couch was usually blocking it.

Now, the couch had been moved, much closer to the tv, the coffee table no longer in the room. She walked towards the door, noticing that her father's bed was now in the room. She turned towards him.

"Why… how… what's your bed doing in this room?" she finally asked, almost unable to voice her question. He walked behind her.

"I, ah, switched your room with mine, but my bed and dresser wouldn't fit in your old one, so I moved my stuff down here. I did a few other changes at well, but not a whole lot," he answered her. "I considered putting you down here, but I wasn't quite comfortable placing you in there, as the windows are easier to access."

She nodded her head, though she wasn't listening to the last part her said, as she was wondering what changes he had made to her room. She walked up the stairs, her curiosity fueling her, and walked to her new room. She didn't look towards her old room, though she wouldn't have seen anything, as the door was closed, and found herself looking at the changes.

Her bed spread was no longer white and pale yellow. That was the first thing that jumped out at her, as they were now dark purple with blue flowers that changed from dark to light. Her bed was in the corner, away from the windows in the room, where her dresser now stood.. Her dresser now stood in front of one, her desk in front of the other. Her mirror was between them, turned at an angle where she wouldn't see herself from her bed.

Nothing instantly reminded her of her attack, as she was afraid it would. Feeling thankful for that fact, she walked straight to her bed, laying down comfortably on it. Taking a deep breath, she decided to try and get a little sleep, hoping that she would. However, she wasn't able to, as the fear that she would see the imagines that she didn't want to see would assault her.

"Hey, baby girl, what do you think about the way your new room is set up?" he asked, bringing a glass of water up with him. She frowned, noticing that the water wasn't clear like it should be, but, feeling thirsty, she didn't question it as much as she should. She took several large gulp, wincing slightly as the bitter taste, which got stronger the closer she got to emptying the glass.

She talked to her father for a few moments, laying there as she started to become even more tired than the sleepless nights had already left her to be. Halfway through their meaningless talk, she closed her eyes yet again, and kept them closed as she entered a much needed dreamless sleep

* * *

"Bella, wake up," Charlie's voice broke through her sleep. Slowly sitting up, she yawned, still tired. Realizing that she had been able to sleep without dreaming, she felt some relief, hoping that she would be able to sleep more later as well. She pushed back the blankets, taking in the bright light that flowed through her window, before she started.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's the next day. You've been asleep since yesterday," he answered, concern heavy in his voice. She blinked more, surprise covering her face. How long had she been asleep? She knew that she hadn't slept very well the last few days, but still, it seemed a bit excessive for her to sleep over twelve hours.

Charlie noticed her expression, but didn't comment. He could tell that she didn't understand how it was that she had slept so long, though he knew that it was the sleeping pills he had been given for himself two to three months ago, which he had crushed up and put into his daughter's drink. He had made sure that he hadn't put too much in it, just enough to get her to sleep. For the most part, while it had been enough to knock her out, it wasn't enough to keep her asleep for the period of time she had been.

No, her own tiredness had been what caused her over twelve hour sleep.

Instead of letting her linger on it, he asked her what she might want to do. She thought for a minute, before saying that she had no idea what to do. Then, her stomach growled, and she asked if there was something she could eat. She wasn't expecting her father to cook anything – he couldn't cook for his life – but she knew that there had to be something in the fridge that could be heated up.

Charlie knew that too, and quickly went to see what was in there. Finding not much, he finally decided on just making her a quick turkey sandwich. He could make that.

Walking back up the stairs with the plate in hand, he handed it to her with a flourish, making a small laugh come out of her mouth. He smiled himself, happy to here such a wonderful sound from her mouth. It seemed to tell him that she was as strong s he believed her to be, that she would be able to bounce back from what had happened, to lead as normal a life as she could.

Excusing himself to get something for him to eat, he left her to her sandwich. Bella placed the plate on her lap and picked up the sandwich, taking a large bite. A frown crossed her face as she chewed; it wasn't as good as a turkey sandwich usually was. In fact, it tasted almost…bland. Shaking her head, she didn't focus on it, continuing to eat it.

Once done, she ventured down stairs, joining her father on the couch, where he sat eating his own sandwich. Curling up to his side with a blanket over her, she watched the tv, which was on a game. Then, suddenly, it changed to one of her of the few channels that she would watch, and discovered that one of her favorite shows, NCIS, was on.

She couldn't help but feel relieved. He almost always changed the channel when he knew that a show she liked was on. I twas a normal occurrence. The only difference was the fact that he wasn't heading ot his room to watch the game, as he would have usually done.

After the show was over, she turned to her father.

"What are we going to do for dinner tonight?" she asked him.

"Sue's coming over tonight," he answered. She nodded her head in understanding. Sue was her father's friend Henry's wife, and she would often come visit with her kids and Jacob Black,her father's other friend's kid, so that Bella could hang out with them while the men watched whatever game was on and Sue cooked.

She bit her lip; she wasn't sure she could handle a bunch of people at the moment. Charlie noticed her muscles tense and seemed to read her mind.

"It's just going to be Sue and Leah," he told her, feeling relief as her muscles relaxed at those words. While she would prefer only one person, at least it was still a low number of people, and there would be no males. So, she settled back and continued to watch a new show.

At around six, as another episode of NCIS started, she heard a car pull up outside and two doors open and then shut a while later. Sitting up so Charlie could get the door, she watched as Sue and Leah entered. She glanced at them, only to turn away at the look of pity on Sue's face, as well as the look of excitement on Leah's.

Bella knew then that what happened to her had been told, the people knew what had happened to her, despite what she may wish. She knew she shouldn't of been surprised; in a small town like Forks, there were no secrets, no matter how much people wished for them. The fact that La Push also tended to know what happened in Forks as well wasn't surprising either. With the close communication between the two towns, what was known in Forks was known it La Push, and vice versa.

However, even knowing this fact hadn't prepared her to seeing the others reactions, as she hadn't seen anyone put the hospital staff and her father the last few days. Her father had been trying to act normal for her sake, and the hospital staff, while not used to it happening in their town, knew that those it happened to didn't want pity; at least, she never saw pity in their eyes.

She watched as Charlie directed Sue to the kitchen, Leah following with another pot. Bella breathed out a sigh of relief over not ending up being left with one of them, not wanting to talk about what happened, which she knew would most likely happen if Leah stayed. Leah tended to be blunt, and would want to know what happened to her, an almost detail by detail replay would be required to make her happy. She doubted Leah would feel anything other than excitement over what happened to her; Leah wasn't exactly a friend to her. In fact, Leah hated her.

Bella was sure Leah was also phycotic, especially when she heard about what happened to Leah's cousin, Emily, and ex-boyfriend Sam

And Sue…Sue would bring about how much something like this wouldn't break her. She would try to say something about how it would empower her, that she would be stronger because she survived. Niether of those options sounded good to her, and she quickly, but quietly, hurried to her room, shutting the door behind her.

She leaned against it, listening to what was going on downstairs. She was glad she had hidden when she heard Leah's voice, calling her name. She prayed that she wouldn't try to come up the stairs, and mentally told herself to hug Charlie when she came down, as she heard Leah and Sue leave.

Starting down the stairs, she walked into the kitchen, accepting the plate her father handed to her, walking bak to the couch to eat. Once more, she felt mixed feelings for what she was eating. Like the turkey sandwich, it was bland, no taste in what was usually a delicious, tasteful dinner. Frowning over this fact, she still ate, not wanting to waste what had been brought over.

Gong back up to her room, she grabbed one of the books on her desk. Settling down into her bed, she began rereading it, falling asleep once more halfway through it.

* * *

**Argument**

* * *

Liana search for Edward took her straight out of Washington and to California, where his scent came to a stop. Huffing lightly, she glared at the gate in front of her. _Just like him to have a huge gate around his property when no one would be able to find this place_ she thought before jumping up over the fence and landing on her feet.

Turning, she allowed her 'façade' to melt away, her body changing back to what she really looked like. The thin, rail-like body she had adopted for talking to Bella changed, gaining some muscle, as well as a generous chest and ass. Her hair became darker, glossier, and longer. Her eyes seemed to glow a bit, drawing whoever might look in them towards her.

Her clothes changed as well, becoming a shimmering silk red dress, one with a low cut in front and fell in all the way down to her feet, a long slit on the side showing off her legs, as well as a shadowed glimpse of the apex of her thighs. No shoes graced her feet, yet she felt no stick or stone when she stepped on them.

Her face needed no make up, her skin perfect, clear and oil free. Her green eyes were rimmed with long lashes, ones that many would wish they could have without the use of mascara. Her lips were a deep red that shined in the moonlight.

"Edward Masen!" she yelled as she pushed open the heavy doors of a huge mansion. She stood where she was, her arms folded over her chest as she tilted her head, trying to pinpoint where he was. A look of disgust marred her face as she realized what he was doing.

He was feeding, something that you would only share with a mate, which Edward haven't had at all. _Until now_ she thought, anger rushing through her once more. While she was glad that he now had a mate, to force himself onto a girl who was still far too younger for those attentions, while not against the rules, was still wrong.

She pursed her lips, forcing herself to turn and walk into the living room, waiting for him to finish.

* * *

"Don't stop," the girl beneath him whimpered, tightening her legs around him. He ignored her, as he had no plan of stopping. He leaned forwards, teasing her to believe that he would kiss her. He wouldn't though, not yet. He wanted to play for a bit longer before he finished feeding.

His hands came up to her breasts, gripping and squeezing the globes in his hands before moving his hands behind to her ankles, unlocking them from their position. He moved away from her, ignoring the whine she gave as he grabbed her hips and turned her over onto her hands and knees. She gave no objection, despite the fact that she had told him she would never allow herself to be done in this position.

"Edward Masen!" he suddenly heard. He gave no outward sign of hearing her, knowing that she would realize what he was doing at the moment. He couldn't now – he needed to feed. Roughly slamming himself back into her, his pace picked up. He didn't want to keep Liana waiting. He wrapped him arm around her neck, using it to pull her back as he quickly turned and sat down, forcing her body into his lap.

Latching his mouth onto her neck, he moved his arms to her legs, sliding her hands along her thighs before pushing them opened some more. His eyes glanced into the mirror directly across from them, and he directed her attention towards it, taking delight as his eyes connected with hers from a moment before they moved down to where they were connected.

His thrusted up hard into her, taking delight in seeing her eyes roll back in pleasure and seeing his length diappear into her. He kept this up for a while, until he felt the stirring of the orgasm that he had been denying her begin again. He pushed her back onto the bed, quickly thrusting into her a few more times before her inner muscles clamped around him.

His lips crashed onto hers as she came, and almost immediately, her life force began to enter him. Tiny veins crept along her face towards her lips, and her skin began to turn grey and shrink into itself. As he kissed her, their lips parted for a second, and a strange bluish white glow could be seen between them, from her to him.

He removed himself from in her, his cock now flaccid, though his lips never left hers. She continued to turn grey, her body showing the loss of life as her skin began to plaster itself to her bones. It was as he heard her organs shrivle up that he moved away, still sucking up whatever life was left in the body.

He got up from the bed, ignoring the now mummified corpse, and quickly dressed. He wanted to know what Liana had to say.

* * *

"Finally," Liana said, turning towards the newly-fed Edward. He noticed her rather upset face.

"What? Don't like the one I've chosen to be your new sister-in-law?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. He honestly didn't care what she thought, if he was truthful, but he would like his mate to get along with his family. Liana was the nicest one out of his siblings, and usually had a hard time hating anyone, so if she didn't like her, their was no guarantee that the others four would.

"No, that not my problem," Liana said. "I like her very much. However, what's pissing me off is what you did."

She turned towards him, his face murderous. "How could you hurt her like that? How could you rape her as you did, and ruin what should have been a wonderous event for her?"

"What does it matter if I took her now, or how I took her? It was my right to take the one I want as my mate any way I choose. So long as she was of age, I was within my right to turn her whenever I wanted," he answered.

"I know that she's of age to be turned, but still, you went too far, Edward. Did you bother to think about her when you took her? You've mentally scarred her, and physically hurt her as well. You've hurt her and –"

"Again, it was my choice. She'll heal, mentally and physically, and when she does, we will be happy together," he told her. Realizing that nothing she was saying was entering his mind, she sighed, shaking her head as she turned away to leave. She headed for the front door, but stopped when she had it halfway opened.

"You're wrong, you know? She will never truly love you as you will want her to, nor will she ever be happy with you. Will you be able to be happy when she's miserable?"

She left after that, shutting the door behind her. Edward stared at the door for a moment, listening as she quickly left. _She's the one whose wrong_ he thought, heading back to his room. He grabbed the corpse that he had left on his bed – he had to get rid of it. Taking it to the dumping ground – the place where his entire family always took their corpses – wasn't too far from the house, though far enough so that they wouldn't smell the corpses as the rotted away. Plus, it was underground, so no satalite, helicoptor, or plane would see it from the air.

As he walked back to the house, his mind focused on those last three sentences she had spoken. No matter how much he wished, he couldn't seem to be able to stop himself from thinking about them.

_No, no, no, no, NO_ he thought, the last word practically a scream. He refused to believe her. Entering his house, he began to pace in the front room. He knew that Bella would be happy with him. He would be able to take better care of her than anyone else. She would love the little family they would have, and love him even more for giving it to her. They would be happy together, they would.

His hands gripping his hair, he repeated those words to himself before he realized that they weren't working at dispensing his sister's words. He gripped his hair harder, several strands tearing themselves out of his scalp as he did. He couldn't calm down; if he was honest, he had always been that way, right up until…

His grip relaxed itself as the idea made it's way through his mind. The only time he had ever truly been relaxed was whenever he was within the vincidity of Bella. She just had a way around him that would automatically calm him down, and he knew that if he didn't want to hear the words his sister spoke, he would need Bella nearby.

_I know that I said I would give her one more week, but…_

He knew that he wouldn't survive much longer without her. The mating bond he established called for them to be together. Being apart from her was actually driving him crazy.

He needed her. He wanted her there with him. It was as simple as that.

Grabbing his jacket, he walked out of the house. It was time for him to bring his mate home.

* * *

**Retrieval**

* * *

"Dad, you need to go to work," Bella said, glaring at him. She knew that he hadn't been back there since her attack, and while it hadn't even been a week yet – it was her third day being back home – and while Forks was a small town where hardly anything happened,she would feel better if Charlie got back on his normal schedule.

She didn't like the idea of being watched all the time now, and she desperately want to just forget what had happened. Of course, it wasn't as easy as she wished, and none of it had to do with those around her. Everything that made it impossible had to do with her.

The first was that most food she ate tasted bland – and this included candy and chocolate, something that Charlie had surprised her with her second day home. The only time food didn't taste bland was when she was craving something; and it was only whatever she was craving at the moment that didn't taste bland. Like the other day, she was craving honey glazed ham and mashed potatoes, and, when she got it, it was the tastiest thing she had ever eaten; if she was honest, it actually tasted ten times better than she remembered.

Another thing that surprised her was the fact that her hearing seemed to be getting better with every day that passed. Normally, when her father watched television while she was in her room, she would only hear the sound muffled, never able to actually understand which words were being said. Now, after complaining to her father about how loud it was, she was forced to listen to her earphones, with the volume up pretty loud in order to even come close to drowning out the television at night, though he did turn it down after her complaint.

And then there was the fact that her abdomen, which she had noticed to be firmer than before her rape, was starting to get a bit bigger, as if she was gaining weight, which was a weird reaction, as she wasn't eating anymore than she normally would; if she was honest, she was actually eating less. And she had never really been big on excercising, walks being the most she'd do outside of school. Yet, even with that, she had never really put on weight until now.

However, she concluded that these changes weren't anything to worry about, positive that they would eventually fade away. Now, however, her focus was on getting Charlie to leave her alone for a while – his hovering was annoying her, especially when she was trying to read something.

Charlie, however, didn't want to leave her alone, remembering that the last time he had left her alone to do his job, she had been hurt. He didn't like it when she was far from him all that much, and had been convinced that it would take her much longer to put this event behind her. He was slightly surprised that she was already trying to get him out of the the house.

"Bella, honey, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone," he started, only to have Bella interrupt.

"Dad, you can't be around me all the time. Not only is it annoying, but you can't just forget about your job. Look, I'll be alright. I would just like an empty house today. Plus, I just want to forget what happened, and I can't if you refuse to act normal and continue to hover," she said, biting her lip before continuing with her little speech.

"It makes me feel like there's something wrong with me when you hover, like I have to be watched. I don't want people to treat me differently than they usually do. I may have been a victim, but I don't want to be treated like one. Your refusal to act normal, however, is your refusal to act like I am strong enough to get over this, despite the evidence. I have excepted what has happened to me, and I don't want any reminders about it, which is why I want you to go to work."

Charlie stared at his little girl – _no, not a little girl anymore_ he thought absently – as she told him this, and felt ashamed at the fact that he made her feel weak. He should have known she was strong; the way she had been after his wife's death should of told him just how strong she was. Yet, here he was, treating her like a victim, just as she said. She was a victim, but the fact of the matter was, she didn't want to be treated like one, nor did she really act like one, save for the fact that she refused to enter her old bedroom. IN truth, it wasn't too much of a request from her.

And yet…Charlie's mind couldn't help but remember that night, when he had come home to see the damage done to his daughter. He couldn't help but remember the helplessness that had engulfed him at the sight of her body, curled up on a bloody bed. He couldn't help but remember the sight of her tearful and pain-filled eyes as they begged for something, something he had realized to be protection after the fact. He knew that she had wanted to be saved, and that he had failed in doing that.

He hadn't been able to protect her, hadn't been able to keep her safe. He hadn't even thought about her until he got back that night, hadn't even thought that anything could, and would, happen to her. His own arrogance that no one would harm her had shown itself to be untrue.

Plus, the fact of the matter was, he couldn't forget that night. He couldn't forget what he had seen in her room, nor could he stop his mind from imagining her crying out for help, asking to be saved and protected as the bastard took her innocence. He wondered if that was what she did. Did she cry out for him? Is that why her mouth had the handprint over it? Was her attacker unable to stand hearing those cries?

"Dad," Bella's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife, and he found her staring at him anxiously, almost worried. It made him wonder how long had he been in his thoughts. Staring at her, he remembered the conversation at hand.

"Dad, please go back to work," she said once more, only with a pleading tone to her voice. He sighed, already knowing what his answer would be. He had already already failed in keeping her safe; the best he could do is not make her feel like the victim she says she feels with him around.

"Alright, I'll go," he said. "But, I will have several of the men do some rounds to the house to make sure that nothing has happened."

Knowing that it was the best she would get out of him, Bella nodded her head. Seeing that this was acceptable – not that he was really giving her a choice – Charlie turned towards his room to get his bathroom things and uniform. However, he remembered something, and turned back towards her almost sheepishly.

"Um, I forgot to tell you. Do you remember that detective that you talked to, when we were still in the hospital? Well, she wanted me to know that if you remember something else about your attack…well, she wants you to give her a call, no matter what time of day or night. The, uh, card with her number is on my dresser right now, 'kay?"

He walked into his room after that, coming out a minute later with his arms full. Giving her a small smile, he walked to the bathroom, and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Charlie's welcome back consisted of several 'Hey, Chief,'s and 'Is Bella alright?'s. He answered positively, both with his greeting and about Bella's well being. Heading to his desk, he groaned to himself as he saw how much paperwork her had to sort through. While crime was mostly low – a few petty thiefs here and there, as well as minor property distruction – it didn't mean that he didn't have other things to do, such as giving his men, and women, assignments to do, going through files that other police departments faxed over to him, and a couple of other things.

Plus, he sometimes ended up assisting with the La Push police force, as well as the Port Angeles ones, especially when there was a chance that whatever was going on at either of those places could easily end up becoming a problem to his town. They were the closest towns around, after all. It would take much for the crime to disappear from there to appear in Forks.

As Charlie went through the folders – four break-ins with no suspects yet, eight missing people who probably just wanted away from the rain, some thiefs – he eagerly awaited the reports from one of the three officers he had chosen to do the drive-bys. He had chosen three rookie, ones who were still new to the force, but he had known all three long enough to know that they would take this order seriously. Billie Young, Stephen Dest, and Jacob Black were some of the best rookies who had applied after finishing their time at the academy.

He had been going through everything that had piled up on him for almost six hours, only being interrupted by Billie, Jake, and Stephen, who came to report that Bella was fine, when he got a call from Sam Uley, the deputy at La Push. They wasn't much time for plesantries to be explained before Sam told him that they needed some help there, as the actual Chief of the La Push Police Force wasn't in town for some reason, and they were having some major problems over at the Clearwater residence.

He went himself, wanting to get away from the rest of the paperwork he had left, as he was getting very bored reading over the reports. Meeting Sam – along with two others – over at the Clearwater residence, he was quick in being briefed on what was going on. He frowned, unsure of what to make of what he was being told.

Apparently, Sue had called, but for what reason was still unknown, as the phone had been disconnected before she could say anything. Suiting up in a bulletproof vest – as unlikely as it was that they would need them, it was still procedure – and, with Sam in the lead, they entered the house.

The first thing they noticed was that the room was in complete disarray. Pictures were thrown around, side tables upturned, and there were slashes on the furniture that wasn't easily moved. The second thing was the overwhelming scent of blood, making their stomachs turn from how the scent was saturated throughout the place.

They found part of the source in the kitchen, flinching at the sight of Sue's mutilated body. They didn't bother checking to see if she was still alive – the wounds on her body and the amount of blood they could see told them otherwise. They noticed what looked like a trail leading down a hallway, and followed it, seeing that the destruction continued. They followed it to the phone, ripped from the wall and sporting a bloody handprint.

They find nothing in the first bedroom, which was Seth's room, though it was just as destroyed at the rest of the house. Sue's room also showed signs of destruction, as well the some blood drops, adding to the drops that continued down the hallway. The next room, a guest room, revealed another body. Unlike Sue's – which, while mutilated, was still discernable – this one held nothing that showed whose body it was.

The face of the body was non-existant, huge, gaping rips ruining the features. A gag was stuffed in the mouth, as if to keep whoever it was from screaming out. Her clothes were gone, though red painted the body so fully that clothes weren't needed. The chest held a hole in it, as if something was pulled out. Even more gaping slices decorated the chest and abdomen, blood still slowly sliding downwards.

A quick look at the area between the legs showed that the body was female, and most likely had been sexually assaulted. Even more blood covered her arms and legs as slices following the veins were seen. It was obvious that those wounds, however, had been done closer to the woman's death, as there wasn't enough blood pouring from them to be the actual cause of death.

Unable to look at it anymore, they went to the final room of the house, Leah's room. Just as destroyed as the rest of the house, they didn't find anything there. Charlie stood where he was for a minute as the others went back towards the front of the house, ready to call the coroner, and was about to follow when he heard something. Standing still, he heard what sounded like a shuffling noise behind him and turned to see the closet door, which they hadn't bothered checking.

Holding his gun out in front of him, he slowly approached the door, quickly opening it to discover Leah crouched down on the floor, shaking with blood on her hands.

"Leah," he said, and she snapped her head up towards him. "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head, still looking at him, and he couldn't help the shiver that went through him at her blank eyes. He told himself that they were from the discovery of what was in the house, nothing else, and he shook the feeling that there was some other reason for her unpassionate deposition.

"Hey, Charlie, what's going on?" Sam called through the house, and Charlie turned towards the door, seeing him walk through it.

He went to speak, to say that he found Leah, but a sharp pain entered his body through his back, several times. He could hear Sam yelling as his body fell towards the ground, almost as if it could no longer support him, and he twisted himself, almost unconsciously, so he wouldn't land on his front.

His twisting allowed him a glimpse of his attacker, and he was surprised to discover that Leah was the only person behind him. At first, he thought that he was just imagining it, that there was someone else that he couldn't see, the but sight of the blade in her hand told him that he was wrong.

He laid there, in front of her as he heard Sam demand that she drop the knife, his eyesight beginning to go grey as the time continued to pass. It wasn't long before his hearing began to go, though he had only been hearing Sam repeat his words, and he tried to speak, tried to get someone attention, but was unable to do much besides cough up some blood.

* * *

Sam stood in the doorway, unable to do much besides keep his gun on Leah. He took a chance look down at the ground, wincing as he saw his friend Charlie coughing up more blood. He knew that he and to hurry and get Charlie to a hospital, but he couldn't turn his back on Leah, who was obviously the cause of the house's damage, as well as the murderer of her mother and the unknown woman in the guest room.

"Leah, drop the weapon," he commanded once more, starting to lose his patience with her. He had been repeating that sentence for almost eight minutes, and was ready to just shoot the bitch if she didn't. However, before he was driven to such a drastic measure, she finally seemed to snap out of whatever psychotic episode she was in, and dropped the knife, holding her hands up in the air as a wicked smile crossed her face.

"You won't be able save him anyways," she hissed at him as Paul and Jared, the other two officers with him, walked into the room, their own guns drawn. He watched as Paul approached Leah, roughly pulling her arms behind her and handcuffing them. He led her out of the room, but not before she was able to stop besides Sam and whisper, "Wonder what little Bella's going to do when she realizes you didn't' protect her daddy like she expects you to do."

Paul pulled her away harder, but Sam still felt the meaning of the words freeze him in place. He knew what Leah was talking about – the promise he had made Bella when he had served under Charlie before he was transferred. Though he was no longer serving under Charlie, he had still been keen on keeping the promise he made to Bella. He knew that he had to make sure Charlie did survive, unable to think about what would happen if he did fail her.

Powered by that thought, he came back to life, hurrying to Charlie's side. He helped put pressure on the wounds, waiting for the parametics to get there, and then riding in the ambulance with them when they did. He waited in the waiting room as they took him into the Instensive Care Unit, pacing as he waited for news.

As he paced, he wondered if he should call someone, but wasn't able to make himself do so, not wanting to worry Bella. He didn't want to tell himself that his avoidance had to do with the fact that he didn't want to face Bella yet, to tell her that he had failed in protecting her father. He at least wanted news to tell her as well, knowing very well that it might not be good news.

Continuing his pacing, he found himself suddenly in the company of Jared and Paul, who had explained what he had done with Leah – holding cell with no one else in it and left in the company of Embry and Quil, two other officers. Paul also quietly informed him of the fact that Seth was in the care of a neighbor after being informed of what had happened to his mother, and that Henry had also been found, dead, after a more extensive search of the house.

Shaking his head, Sam wondered what had caused Leah to suddenly decide to kill her family, as well as whoever it was that had been in the guest room. Hearing the doors open, he turned in the direction, noticing a doctor heading towards their group.

"Is Charlie oaky?" he immediately asked. The doctor's face almost gave away nothing, though their seemed to be a negative air around him. Somehow, before he even spoke, Sam knew what his answer would be, tuning the doctor out as he said, "I'm sorry. He didn't make it…"

He turned away, knowing that Paul and Jared would recount what the doctor said to them later, and walked out of the place, palming his cell to call Bella. However, he found himself unable to, calling Jake instead. Jake would be able to do it, to do what he was too cowardly to do. Plus, Jake could bring Bella to his father's house as well, which was where

* * *

Bella was in the kitchen, making food for herself and which ever officer came by this hour. If the schedule they had kept going, she suspected that Billie would be coming by, as they had some sort of order going. However, when she heard a car pull up and hurried to the door to open it, Jake's tired face was the one that greeted her.

She went to smile, only to immediately notice that something was wrong as Jake mumbled, "Hey, Bella."

"What happened?" she demanded, knowing that it could be nothing good. Sighing, Jake led her into the house and sat her down before explaining what Sam had told him. He watched Bella's face as he told her, feeling his heart break as tears gathered in her eyes right before they began to fall down her cheeks. He gathered her up into his arms, knowing just how she must be feeling. It hadn't even been a week since her rape, and now she had lost her father…

Bella cried for a while, until she was about to fall asleep, which was when Jake finally brought her back to the land of the awake by mentioning that she needed to get a bag together so he could take her to his father's. Nodding her head, she walked upstairs, grabbing a duffle bag from under her bed that she filled with clothes.

Jake took the bag from her when she walked back down stairs, and headed towards the kitchen, shutting off the stove where a pot of boiling water sat. She had almost forgotten about it. She didn't bother cleaning up the mess she had made, figuring that she would come back later to do so.

Walking out the front door, she went to lock it when she heard Jake speak behind her.

"Who the hell are you?" he said, and she turned to discover that he was looking at the man that she had seen collapse the day she was raped. Without realizing it, a frown made it's way across her face as she wondered what he was doing back at her house, unable to think of a reason.

However, before she could say anything, he looked at her, his vivid green eyes capturing hers. A gasp left her as a pounding headache suddenly raged in her head. Groaning as she bend down and held her headin her hands, the surpressed memories of her rape began fully playing, starting from when she first entered the room and was grabbed.

Jake, who had turned at Bella's gasp, hurried towards her when she grabbed her head and began groaning. He looked at the stranger, who just stood there, waiting for something. It seemed that whatever he was waiting for happened when Bella gasped yet again, releasing her head and looking towards him.

She whimpered as Jake asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's him," she whimpered again. "Him, Edward. He's…he's…he's the one, the one who r-raped me."

She shook in his arms, moving backwards, and Jake saw red as he released her. This bastard was her rapist. _How dare he show up around here again_ he thought, moving forwards. He didn't bother reaching for his gun, too angry to do so, not that he could anyways. He had left it in his car, not expecting to have to use it.

He didn't need it anyways. He was going to beat this bastard to a pulp. He swung out his fist, ready for it to impact the bastard's face… and was surprised when the guy caught it in his hand. He groaned in pain when the guy squeezed, and he felt the bones break. Then, the guy pulled, and the sound of his shoulder popping out of place could be heard by himself and Bella, despite how far away she stood.

Bella's eyes widened as she saw Jake's pain, and she flinched as the sound of bones breaking echoed through the yard. She felt frozen, unable to do anything as Jake tried to fight back, ending up with a broken bone each time. Then, with horror in her eyes, she watched as Jake was brought to his knees while being spun around, his arms in the Edward's hands. Bile rose in her throat as she saw the guy forced Jake to the ground, his foot on his back, while pulling his arms backwards.

She was unable to look away as she saw blood beginning to appear, and heard Jake finally scream in pain, right before his arms detatched themselves from Jake's body. Edward was quick in letting go of Jake's arms, throwing them away from himself to grab Jake's head and giving it a good twisting yank. Bella finally screamed herself as she saw Jakes body fall to the ground while his head stayed in Edward's hand.

Edward turned towards her, almost as if he just realized that she was there, and he walked towards her, carelessly dropping the head in his hands towards the side. Bella turned, opening the door to her house, and hurrying towards the kitchen, feeling the need for a weapon. She would of gone for Charlie's gun, but he had taken it with him before he left.

Grabbing the knife that she had left, she turned, holding it out in front of her, as Edward appeared in her sight. He frowned when he saw the knife, not expecting her to feel a need to defend herself. He was her mate, she shouldn't attack him.

"Bella," he said, walking forward, "put the knife down."

She shook her head, swiping at him as he got to close to her, though she missed actually hitting him. His eyes narrowed her her swipe, anger entering him. This was definitely not going as he thought it would. He decided to try and grab her, hoping he would be able to disarm her that way, and pounced.

Bella pushed the knife forward, watching as the blade sank into the soft skin of his abdomen. Surprise flitted through his eyes as the pain hit him, and he slumped, Bella releasing the knife as his body hit the ground in front of her. She stood still for a minute, seeing no movement, and wondered who to call to help her when she remembered that Charlie had said to call Liana if she remember anything about her rape. She wondered if calling to report that she had killed the guy would be a good idea – they giy wasn't breathing, after all – but squashed the idea down.

Right now, she didn't care if she got into trouble, she needed help, and, after seeing what happened to Jake, she just needed to call someone. Charlie had told her to call Liana if it had to do with her rape, as she was going to do just that. Besides, the guy was dead now, there was no rush to do anything else.

Walking toward her father's room while grabbing the phone, she found the card Charlie right where Charlie had told her it would be, on his dresser. Feeling strangely calm despite the fact that she had watched someone be torn apart in front of her, and then killed someone herself, she dialed the number.

"Hello," the same professional voice she had heard in the hospital days ago answered.

"Hello, Detective Argeneau, this is Bella, Bella Swan," she said, her voice sounding tired. Between her crying session, watching Jake's murder, and killing someone, she definitely felt tired, and very drained of energy. She was running on pure adrenaline at the moment, though she was ignoring the shaking that her body was doing.

After Liana anwered back that she recognized the name, Bella quickly began explaining what had happened, only to suddenly stop as a groaning sound was heard. She turned towards the door, slowly looking out into the living room, finding nothing there. She went to speak again, only to hear the groaning noise again, this time followed by a scraping sound, as well as a clattering sound. She gulped lightly, seeing a shadow moving from the kitchen.

"No," she gasped as she recognized Edward's form moving towards her, the knife no longer in his abdomen. Her eyes rolled back into her head as her mind seemed to give out, no longer feeling like it wanted to see what was happening. She could vaguely hear the sound of Liana's voice repeatedly saying her name as the phone slipped through her fingers, and she crumpled towards the floor. She never hit it, as Edward darted forward, catching her unconscious form.

Edward looked her over, his eyes darting all over her, to make sure she was alright. While he was slightly angry at her, his anger was overshadowed by his relief that she was finally in hs possession, as well as relief that she was okay, out of it, but ultimately okay.

"Bella!" he suddenly heard his sister's voice, and realized that she had been on the phone. He frowned, moving to set Bella onto the bed before picking up the phone. It took him a few seconds before he remembered that she had taken the place of the actual detective of Bella's case in order to meet her new sister-in-law and keep track of what was happening.

"Hello, Liana," he said, smirking as he heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Edward," she said, her voice barely containing the sudden fury she felt. "What are you doing there?"

"Picking up my mate, of course," he said. He continued before she could say anything.

"Anyway, I figure, since I have you on the phone, you might as well erase anything to do with Bella. The case is no longer needed," he said, hanging up before she could say anything. He placed the phone on the dresser, walking back and picking Bella up. He positioned her just so, making it easier to carry her while he ran to the car he brought at the last second.

Placing her in the backseat, laying down, he placed himself in the front, feeling some piece as he drove away, looking at his mate in the mirror. _Mine_ went through his mind as he headed to their home. _All mine._

* * *

**Reactions**

* * *

Sam wished he had entered in any field other than law enforcement the minute he drove by the Swan place, wondering what was taking Jake so long, and saw the macrabe scene on the lawn. Bile rose in his throat as he got out of the car, swinging a flashlight around the lawn to see.

He was surprised to discover that there was only one body, for the amount of blood seemed to suggest otherwise, with the way it was splashed everywhere. But, while suspicious as to why there was so much blood, he was glad to see that there was only one victim, glad that only one person had suffered this obviously horrible fate. It meant that there were less families he had to inform of the person's horrible fate.

Finding the path with the least amount of blood on it, he walked along it, heading towards the door. He kept his flashlight handy, put pulled out his gun as well, unaware of what he might find inside of the house. Was the killer still here? Where was Bella? Would he find her torn to pieces as well?

He entered the house, noticing that, the flashlight wasn't as needed as much in there, the lights in the kitchen still on. He hadn't noticed this before, but the scene outside had obviously captured his attention. The house, quiet, was quickly searched, and he nothing unusual save for a slightly bloodied knife, a few drops of blood leading from the kitchen to the living room, and no sign of Bella.

He did notice that someone had been laying down on the bed in Charlie's new room. There was a small indent in the blankets, about Bella's size, that he could see. It wasn't obvious, but it was there. Sighing, he went back to his car, where he called it in.

_It's a bad night all around_ he thought as he waited for the others to arrive. First, Leah goes into a psychotic break, killing her entire family, save for Seth, and then she kills Charlie. When he asked why, she refused to give any answers; it took several tries and him finally loosing his temper before she told him, revealing that she had killed her father first because he had been sexually abusing her. That answer had shocked him, but he had hid it well, making her continue.

The unknown girl she had killed was her cousin, Emily, who had arrived the day before. She had degraded and killed her 'just because she could', a response that sickened him. Her mother had died because she had seen what she had done to Emily – '_it was self-preservation'_ – and she wasn't done with her 'fun; yet when Sue entered the room.

As for Charlie, he had to die because he was the reason her family had begun to abuse her. That had surprised him. How was it Charlie's fault that Henry had begun to harm Leah? He honestly couldn't think what it was that had caused it, and he didn't have time to get the answer from Leah before Paul informed him that Billy had called, worried about the fact that Jake had yet to arrive.

That was what had led him to where he stood now.

He made sure to warn the others to be prepared for the scene they would see when they arrived Yet the warning did no good, for many of those who came still became sick to their stomachs.

_This is going to be a long night_ he thought as he leaned against his car, waiting for the others to compse themselves.

* * *

Liana still held the phone to her ear as she shook with fury and anger. _What did he do to Bella_ she thought, her hand squeezing the phone in her hand. Her heart pounded in her chest as worry for Bella flowed through her.

When Bella had called, she thought that it had something to do with the news of her father, which had been circulated throughout the station she was at already. She thought that, maybe, Bella was worried that whoever had harmed her father had been the same person who had harmed her; that maybe, Bella was worried that her rapist had come back.

She had been slightly shocked when the first words from Bella's mouth had been 'I remember who raped me'. The whole story poured from her then, and Liana had been able to discern that Edward had returned, killed someone in front of her after removing his little memory alteration spell, and then gone for her.

That had been all that Bella had said when she had stopped. Liana had heard what sounded like the shuffling of someone moving, but what had scared her was when Bella had gasped out 'No'. She could remember that she had repeated called Bella's name, her worry increasing as she heard the low thud of a body hitting the ground.

Her anger had begun when she heard her brother's voice on the phone. She should have known that Edward would have something to do with Bella's current state; what her current state was, of course, wasn't really known to her.

She hadn't been able to get out more than a question of what he was doing there when he took charge, instructing her to earse the file and everything to do with it before hanging up, which led to her sitting there, fury running through her viens as he grip tightened on her phone.

"Liana." She heard a soft male voice behind her. She turned, noticing that Gray stood there. Sighing, she placed the phone down before standing, heading over to him. Lookig up into his eyes helped calm her down.

"Yes?" she asked, feeling calmed now.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his concern for her evident in his voice. She wished she could tell him what was wrong, tell him what was bothering her, but she couldn't. It wasn't like he could do anything if she did; not even she could do anything, and she was apart of that world.

She shook her head.

"Okay then. The test results for the Swan case came back, no matches in the system," he said. She nodded, tuning out whatever else he was saying, and she barely noticed him leaving her alone.

She sat back down. Pulling up Bella's case, her hand hovered over the delete button. As much as she wished otherwise, she couldn't allow it to be kept in the system. By the law of her kind, nothing about them could be left in the system. Not only would she have to delete the case file, but she would have to get rid of any evidence that Isabella Swan existed.

She clenched her jaw, shaking once more. Only this time, her shaking had nothing to do with anything her brother did, but everything to do with herself. As much as she hated what happened to Bella, she was hating how much it was affecting her. She was a succubus; what happens to humans shouldn't matter to her. She should be thrilled that her brother had found his mate, not pissed over the fact that who he had chosen was a girl who was still a child in many ways.

_Find the switch, turn the switch off_ she thought. She knew that the switch wouldn't really work, but she had to try, at least for a little bit. She had to switch off her humanity in order to do this, she just had too…

When her eyes opened, they were cold, empty looking. She, with a cold efficiency, deleted the file, as well as anything to do with Bella. She took three searches to make sure that she missed nothing before shifting off her computer, and grabbing her things. She wouldn't need to return after this.

Gray caught her before she could leave. Knowing that he would pose a problem, she invited him to dinner. Feeling no emotion when he agreed. She was slightly saddened by the fact that he was a really good man; what she had to do next woud be easier if he was a bastard.

_It's too bad that I have to kill him_ she thought as she led him away.

* * *

**React**

* * *

Bella believed that, within the first moments of regaining consciousness, that what had happened before had all been a dream. She was safe in her bed, her father was in his room, and nothing was wrong. Yet, even as she tried to make herself believe that, she knew that she was deluding herself. The bed she was on wasn't hers; it was too soft. The blankets didn't feel like hers; instead, they felt satiny, silky.

Yet, even knowing this, she still had blanks in her memory, the biggest being what happened after she was told about her father. She just couldn't remember, at least, not yet. Sighing, she opened her eyes, blinking them as the soft light of the room she was in showed her where she was. The bed she was on was a huge, four poster bed with a conopy. Thick, dark blue curtains surrounded all bit one side, the side where the light was invading from. Sitting up, she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _Okay, now what happened_ she thought. _How did I get here?_

Closing her eyes once more, she concentrated on the last thing she remembered, which was Jake informing her about her father's demise. Biting her lips, she remembered that they had been leaving, only to have been stopped by the appearance of some guy…_her rapist_!

The memory of the fact that he had once again appeared in front of her made her stomach turn. Raping her hadn't been enough? He had to come back on the day her father died as well? Yes, he did. And, even worst than that, he had killed Jake, whom she had known her entire life, right in front of her.

She had to lean over the side of the bed as she vomited, the mere memory being too much. Laying back down, feeling weak, she continued to try and remember what happened. Closing her eyes, she forced herself passed the memory of Jakes arms and head being ripped off of him, to see what happened after that.

She remembered that she ran back into her house, bypassing the stairs for the kitchen, planning to arm herself instead of just trying to hide. Hiding would be useless, that was what had been going through her mind at that moment. She had grabbed the knife she had been using to make dinner with, and then he had appeared.

When he had stepped forward, she had swiped at him, not hitting him, but angering him instead. She remembered seeing the anger in his eyes, and, when he pounced, she had just reacted. She felt sick, remembering that she thought she had killed someone, but, at the time, she had only felt a bit of surprise, and then the need to have someone help her.

She had called someone…_Detective Argeneau_ her mind supplied. This was where her mind went blank. Something important had happened here, that was something she was sure of, but she couldn't think of what. Obviously, it had something to do with where she was, for she was nowhere she recognized, yet nothing was coming to mind.

Sighing, she got out of bed, carefully avoiding the spot where she had puked, shaking lightly as she walked towards a door. As she stood, she felt fabric swish around her ankles, and looked down to discover that she was wearing something very different compared to what she remembered wearing last. It was a gown, a beautiful one, with thin straps holding the dress up, off-shoulder cap sleeves, lace hem, and delicate embroidered bodice. It was slightly loose around her, flowing out beautifully from her.

She couldn't help the frown when she noticed that it mostly seemed to flow outwards near her abdomen, but thought nothing of it as she headed towards one of the doors. Opening it, she discovered that it led to a bathroom, a nice looking one with a walk in shower and a huge tub with jets. Walking to the sink, she looked at herself, noticing that her face looked green. Turning the sink on and cupping her hands together, she allowed water to pool before bringing it to her mouth, drinking what hadn't dripped out from the cracks.

Rubbing the excess water away, she looked at herself once more, glad to see that her face wasn't green anymore. At least it was a step in the right direction. She turned to leave, only to freeze sideways as she noticed the way she looked when presented with a sideways view. While the gown she was wore was loose on her, it wasn't loose enough that she didn't notice the way her belly protruded from her body. Her hand came up, pushing against the firm skin, and she gasped to herself.

If she didn't know any better, she would say she was pregnant, but that couldn't be true. The doctor had said her chances of carrying children was very slim, and she certainly hadn't had sex with anyone; not that she would be showing if she had anyways. She didn't count being raped as having sex, as she had not wanted it, and besides, she still wouldn't be showing, unless…

With a sudden clarity, she remembered even more about her rape, about how his eyes had gone crimson as compared to the bright green that they had been, and how his teeth had grown into fangs. She began to hyperventilate as she realized what his show of strength should have told her already: he wasn't human. She had been rape by a monster, and she didn't mean that in the metaphorical sense.

_But that means…_she thought, her eyes widening as it became even harder for her to breathe, as she realized that the simple knife that she had pushed into his abdomen might not have been quite as effective as she had originally thought. A high pitched whimper left her as her hand fisted into a fist on the sink, her body shaking as her knuckles turned white. She couldn't control her trembles, nor could she control her tears.

She was glad that she was by a toilet, for she felt her stomach rebel again. She heaved up whatever was left in her stomach, dry heaving once there was nothing left. Feeling sick, tired, and too caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the door open, but she was suddenly aware of the presence of someone else.

Swallowing hard as she pushed herself away from the toilet, and moved her body until she stood up, she slowly turned, dread in her stomach as she slowly turned to face whever it was that had entered the room. Her eyes slowly slid upwards from the ground, passing over boot clad feet, dark blue jean clad legs, a black shirt clad upper body, until her eyes finally met the rather beautiful features of her rapist.

_No_ she thought, her mind still unable to fully wrap around what she already knew to be true. _He can't be here, he can't be alive. He can't be!_

* * *

**Would Have Been New Chapter**

* * *

Tears filled her eyes once more as she stood still, unable to move a muscle, as he walked forward.

"Bella," he breathed, his arms coming up to wrap around her unmoving form. "My Bella."

Her lips trembled as sobs built up in her throat, and she wished desperately to be anywhere but where she was. She didn't want to be anywhere near him. He didn't seem to share her sentimates, holding her even tighter to him as she cried. Weakened from her puking and the emotional overload, she barely noticed when he picked her up and swepter her out of the bathroom…out of the room she had been in general.

She only noticed that she was in another room when he placed her on a bed, causing her to freak out and jump from him. The last time she was conscious on a bed with him, he had raped her. She didn't want to be anywhere near a bed with him. Hell, she didn't want to be near him in general.

She hugged the wall that she had jumped back into, pressing her back into it, trying to sink into it. Anything to get herself away from this man…no, this monster in front of her.

Edward was confused at her actions. Why did Bella jump away from him? _Maybe Liana was right. Maybe she was telling the truth when she said that Bella would never love me? _

He shook his head. It wasn't the truth. Bella did love him, she was just scared because shewas in a strange place. Yes, that was it.

He walked toward her, holding his arms out, ready to wrap around her once more. She looked for a way to escape, noticing that...

* * *

**_I've slowly begun to redo this story, and the first chapter is not done yet.  
_**

**_Strange Hearts_**


	5. Old Story IV

**_Story title was Beautiful Nightmare. Taken down after realizing that I could not, in good faith, write a real, true romance story when the pairing has one of the members doing sexual abuse to the other and them being the ones the romance is supposed to happen between.  
_**

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I walked slowly up the stairs, dread pouring from every cell of my being as I thought ahead to what I was going to experience tonight, what I experienced every night, every night since I was nine. It was something that would never stop.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I remembered back to how it used to be, before my stupidity changed everything. I never feared the dreams that would enter my mind before; in fact, I had anticipated them, welcomed them with every fiber of my being. I had longed for the moment I would see _him_. There was a time when, at this particular moment, instead of slowly walking to my room, instead of dreading going to sleep, I would have ran to my room, been eager to sleep, all just to see and talk to my friend again as I did every night.

_Friend… _I scoffed at that word now, when it came to him. He was no friend.

If I had known just how evil he was when I first met him, I would have done everything to keep him out of my head. My only consolation was the fact that he could only get to me by my mind, that he'll only ever be able to haunt me in my dreams.

I slipped on an old t-shirt and shorts, taking my time, in no hurry to look upon his face. It was quit opposite, in truth. I looked at my bed. To someone else in that moment, it would look just like a regular bed. But for me, it wasn't. No, for me, it was the portal to my worst nightmares, the nightmares I could never escape. I knew the moment I laid down in this bed, sleep would soon take over and thus my nightmare, with or without my consent, would take over as well.

But sleep was unavoidable; either way, I would have to face him again.

I dejectedly pulled the purple covers back and sat down on the mattress before lying down completely, and pulling the covers over my form. I was shivering despite the warmth, for it wasn't the cold that caused it, but pure fear. The vibrations swept from me to the bed, causing it to shake as I did.

I laid there, fighting the fatigue that seemed to hit me the minute I laid down. However, despite my will, my lids soon started to droop, and darkness took over before I knew it. Once again, I was pulled to the one place I never wanted to be again.

The meadow which I stood on was beautiful as it always was, I couldn't deny that, but I never took much time in admiring it, not with the knowledge of what was coming next. It wasn't a moment later that I could hear him creeping up behind me. He knew that I had heard him, despite my unmoving form, so, as always, he didn't hesitate in encircling his strong and cold arms possessively around my waist. I could feel his cool breath tickling my ear. I shivered, but not from pleasure, as I was sure he imagined it to be.

"Bella…" he cooed in my ear, right before he took the lobe into his mouth.

I closed my eyes shut tightly, trying to fight my fight or flight urge. There was no point in running away from him, I could never run away from him quick enough. He was too strong for me to fight against him. I couldn't even hide from him, for he always found me. I knew that, in my nightmares, he always would have the upper hand against me.

* * *

**The First Meeting**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

_Eight Years Ago_

* * *

I cuddled up next to my mom as we sat on my bed, ready to read my favorite story, Peter Pan. My mom always read this to me before I went to sleep, because, if she didn't, then there was hell to pay. It was almost a need to have the story read every night.

It was just like any other night: the same cute pajamas, same room, same story, same mom…yet, I couldn't help but think that somehow, tonight would be different. My eight year old mind wasn't able to think of a reason of why it would be different, just that it would be different tonight, after my mom turned out the lights. Something said that tonight, my life would never be the same again.

"Mommy?" I asked her, staring up at her innocently.

"Yes, baby?" she answered, though she knew which question would come out of my mouth next.

"Where's Netherland?"

She laughed and said, "Second star on the right, and straight on 'til morning."

"Oh," I said, pouting a bit. "Can I go there?"

She laughed again. "Maybe when you're older."

My pout became more pronounced, but I accepted the answer. Mom got off the bed then, leaning down to kiss my forehead before saying, "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Night, Mommy," I answered, snuggling into my teddy bear Peter as I watched her cross the room to the door. She turned off the lights, but left the door opened halfway so that I wasn't left in complete darkness, which frightened me. I hated to be in complete darkness, and would cry if I didn't have some light in my room at night. My big brother Jacob had told me too many scary stories, and made me watch too many of his 'adult' scary movies that it was hard for me to ever have a good night's sleep without worrying about monsters under my bed if their was no light.

As always, it took me awhile to fall asleep, as the constant whooshing and patting of the rain would sometimes scare my more than the dark itself, but I soon fell asleep.

Almost instantly, I found myself sitting in a beautiful meadow. There were wild flowers everywhere, trees surrounding in a circle, and I could hear a bubbling stream nearby. Standing up, I looked around the meadow in awe. I circled around, seeing everything there was. I was alone for the moment, but, as I took another look around, my eyes rested on something in the shadows.

A man stood there, one who was watching me with a strange expression on his face.

The first thing I noticed about him was his messy hair, which was a bronze color. I had a sudden urge to run my hands through it, wanting to know if it was as soft as it looked. Next, after that, I noticed that he had very pale skin. I mean, I knew that I had pale skin, but his…I knew that, if we were standing side by side together, his would be paler than mine.

Then, I looked towards his face, gasping in shock once I had done so. He was beautiful, making the meadow pale in comparison. _Is he an angel?_ I thought innocently. His eyes – a golden color – continued to watch me in that strange way. It was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable; no one had ever looked at me the way he was. I looked away for a second, but my eyes were drawn back towards him.

I couldn't help the small gasp that left me when I faced him again. His eyes, which I had thought were a golden color, were now darker in color. In fact, they looked to be ink black in color, yet they also seemed to be darkening in color at the same time.

He took a small yet confident step in my direction, and then another and another, slowly coming towards me, his eyes never once straying away from me. As he got closer to me, however, I began to step back away from him, naturally scared of him and the way he stared at me. He stopped moving when he saw my fear.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly. His voice was like soft velvet caressing me, like a siren's call, luring it's prey to it. I couldn't help but stop my movement when I heard his voice, dazed at the beauty of it. A smirk spread across his face when he saw my reaction, and he continued to walk. He was getting too close for my liking once again, so I went to take another step back, but tripped instead, falling onto my back. I was surprised at how real it felt when I hit the ground. This was a dream, wasn't it?

He continued to walk forward, almost as if he hadn't noticed my fall. Once he was close to me, he knelt down in front of me, still staring. There was an intense longing in his eyes as he stared at my face that I couldn't understand. I wished I could move my eyes away from his, but I was trapped under his stare.

"Who are you?" I whimpered. He smiled softly at me.

"I'm a friend. I'm _your_ friend, Isabella," he said in a way as if he was trying to convince me. At least, I think that was the way he meant it, for it sounded more like a command instead.

"Friend?" I asked him, still unsure. He nodded.

A hesitant smile spread across my face as I sat up in a cross-legged position. He smiled back at me encouragingly, and my own smile got larger in response, becoming more confident with his encouragement. I cocked my head to the side as I looked at him curiously. He did the same, mimicking my actions exactly. I felt embarrassed, feeling as if he was making fun of me. I lifted my hand in front of my face, and, like before, he copied me. I started to wiggle my fingers in the air, so did he.

Then, I began to make funny faces. I couldn't help the laughter that flowed through me when he copied. He just looked too funny! Luckily, he wasn't offended; instead, he joined in laughing too. Once the laughter calmed down, I looked at him curiously once more.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Edward," he replied, smiling.

"My name is –" I cut off mid-sentence, remembering that he had already called me by my name before. That got me wondering: how did he know my name?

As if he was reading my mind, he answered, "I'm your friend, remember?"

"But I've never met you before," I insisted.

"That may be so, love. But I know some things about you, though not nearly as much as I would wish," he sounded annoyed suddenly, as if the fact that he didn't know so much about me did that. However, I wasn't paying attention to that, for my mind was caught on what else he had said. _Did he just call me 'love'? Why?_ I thought.

"What did you call me before?" I asked, putting my question to words out loud.

"Isabella, of course," he said, sounding amused.

"No, after that, just now?"

"I called you love," he smiled as he said this. I noticed his eyes darken again, but only for a moment.

"Why?" I asked innocently.

"You'll find out one day," he said. I couldn't help but shrink back a little when I heard his tone of voice, for he sounded dark, a bit evil, if I was honest. I shrugged it off after a while, but in the back of my mind, I was still wondering why he had said it like that. And what would I find out one day, what did he mean by that?

He suddenly read out a hand, lightly tracing my face with his fingertips. I could feel just how cold they were, and was once again surprised at how real this dream felt. For a minute, I considered that maybe it wasn't a dream, that this might actually be happening. His eyes turned black again, more noticeably this time, as he continued to stroke my face, and his stare became intense once more.

He seemed to hear something, and quickly drew his hand back. In a blind of an eye, he was standing again.

"I have to go now," he said suddenly, and I thought I heard him mumble 'before I take you right now' after that. Feeling confused at his abrupt departure, as well as upset at the thought of never seeing him again, I said, "Well, um, good-bye Edward."

"Good-bye?" he asked, confused himself.

"Well, you know, when I wake up and that, this dream will be over so…it's not as if I'll ever see you again," I said that last part gloomily.

I was surprised when he barked out a laugh. I looked at him confused, though, at the same time, I was entranced by the sound of his laughter, a beautiful sound, now that my own wasn't mixed in with it. He knelt down again, like before, but this time he was closer, our faces mere inches apart.

"Oh, you'll see me again, love," he assured, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "You can be sure of _that_."

He said the last part in the same dark voice as before, and, for a moment, I was fearful of him again. However, the smile he gave me after that erased the fear, and I gave him another one, right before he stood back up. He walked backwards towards the tree line, his eyes still on my face. He entered the shadows once again, though this time, he didn't stop until I could no longer see him.

The next think I knew was that I was in my bed, just waking up as the sun began to creep through my window, reflecting on my bedroom walls brightly. I sat up in my bed, thinking over all that had happened in my dream. I was still feeling as if it wasn't just a dream, but the fact that I was safe and warm in my bed was quickly disabusing me of the notion.

I got out of bed, knowing that I needed to get ready for school. As I did so, I thought of the last thing Edward had said to me. '_Oh, you'll see me again, love. You can be sure of __**that**__.'_

I couldn't help but want to believe him, believe that I would see him. But surely Edward was just a figment of my imagination. Just one of my many dreams, none of which were real. Surely I wouldn't see Edward again. Then again, anything could happen in dreams. So was my subconscious telling me that it didn't want see him? Why? Why would my subconscious say that?

Well, whatever the reason, I knew I should listen to it, and not hope to see Edward. So, with that decision in mind, I decided that I would not see Edward again, and pushed all thoughts of my dream out of my mind as I headed downstairs.

I was unaware of just how wrong and mistaken I was in my thinking.

* * *

**School and Second Meeting**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I sat at my desk in school, trying to draw a picture of the meadow from my dream last night. However, when I sat back to see my progress, I winced, crumpling up the paper and throwing it away, ashamed of my terrible artist skill. I hadn't done it any justice, and, no that I had nothing to do, I found my thoughts going back to the man I had met in that meadow. Edward. That's what he said his name was.

My mind conjured up his beautiful voice, his messy bronze hair, those golden eyes that would begin to turn black with each second he continued to stare at me… I shifted a little in my seat, becoming uncomfortable just thinking about the intensity of those eyes when they were watching me. I know I'm young, and, usually, kids like me wouldn't be bothered and would forget about it, but the memory of that stare would not go away. Frankly, the fact that it refused to disappear from my mind scared me.

I heard someone move to sit in the seat next to me, followed by the person saying, "H-hey, Bella."

I turned to see my friend Mike, who looked a bit nervous as he took his seat.

"Hey," I whispered dreamily. I'd had a crush on Mike since we were both five. He'd been a good friend of mine ever since we first started school, and I had a feeling that he liked me too.

We both caught each other's gaze, and then immediately looked away, blushing pink. I saw, at the corner of my eye, him reaching into his pocket for something. My curiosity flared as I waited to see what he was looking for. Then, he held out a little daisy in front of me, a silent wish for me to accept it.

"Thank you, Mike," I said, blushing even darker as I took it from his hand.

"Your w-w-welcome," he stuttered, blushing again as well.

I was placing the flower in my bag when I saw Jessica Stanley stalking towards up, a furious expression on her pathetic little face. Jessica and I had hated each other from the minute we first met. She hated me even more when she heard that Mike liked me over her.

She stopped in front of us, stomping her feet like a brat, and with her hands on her hips as she glared down at me. The glare disappeared as she turned towards Mike.

"Mike," she whined. "Why aren't you sitting next to me instead of this loser?"

"Shut up, Jessica!" he yelled. "She's not a loser! She's great! And she's way prettier than you!"

Jessica didn't like that last sentence, turning to glare at me once more. Seeing that I wasn't fidgeting like she wanted, she stomped her foot again, turning back to Mike.

"You'll see what a loser she is soon, and come running for me in the end, Mike," she vowed before turning and stomping away from us to her own seat.

I turned to look at Mike, who was blushing for the third time today, this time due to the fact that I had heard his confession. Of course, I was blushing too, as well as jumping on the inside from the knowledge that Mike thought I was pretty and that he had stood up for me.

"Thanks for defending me, Mike," I thanked him, shyly giving him a small smile.

"N-no problem," he replied shakily. I went turn back to the front of the room, hearing the teacher arrive, but stopped when I noticed some movement out the window, behind the trees that surrounded the school on most sides. I focused in on what was going on out there more closely, curiosity coloring my thoughts.

_Maybe it's a bear or a wolf_ I thought, becoming a bit panicked. But then I saw something blur, and, after that, there was no more movement. I softly sighed with relief, knowing that whatever it was had gone, though still curious as to what it was. I thought about the white blur I had seen. I was almost positive that I had seen the color bronze as well…

* * *

I laid in my bed, sleepier than I usually was at this time. I couldn't even stay away long enough to wait for Mom to read to me, for my eyes soon closed, sleep overtaking me. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen tonight like it had last night. Whenever I considered what Edward had said, on the rare occasions that I hat thought about it that day, I had only imagined it to be just one of the many dreams I had.

However, now that I was once again asleep, I was reconsidering those thoughts, for, once again, I found myself standing in the middle of that beautiful meadow. Like before, I stood for a moment, admiring it's beauty. And, also life before, I was quick in discovering that I wasn't alone.

I found Edward standing within the shadows, at the same spot as last time, staring at me just like he had before. I stood frozen under his gaze. Slowly, he began walking towards me. My face was still one of surprise; I couldn't process anything properly in my mind to recover my features. A smirk spread across his face as he saw my shock. He stopped once he was standing in front of me.

"Did you really think I didn't mean it when I said you would see me again?" he asked, amused. It seemed to finally shock me out of my surprise.

"B-but…h-how…how an I here again?" I asked, my confusion being shown. He leaned down to my level, never once breaking eye contact with me.

"Magic," he whispered, obviously joking, but my innocent mind didn't register that. I believed him when she said that.

He sat down on the grass, in the same position as he had the other night, and gestured for me to do the same. I don't know why, but, before my mind could even process what he wanted me to do, I had already done so. I was surprised once more, almost missing his smirk at my willingness to comply.

"How have you been, little Bella," he asked politely; yet, once again, it sounded more like a command rather than a question.

"Okay," I said quietly, still confused by everything. I didn't offer anything else, something which displeased him a bit.

"You drew a picture, didn't you?" he probed, surprising me at his insistence to know what I did.

"H-how did you know that?" I asked, shock coloring my voice.

"Well you did, didn't you?" he asked again, impatient now. I nodded my head.

"What of?" he asked. There was genuine curiosity in his voice now. I blushed as I said, "Here."

"Here?" he smiled.

"Yeah, I tried to draw this meadow. It's pretty."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you like it. You'll be spending a lot of time here in the future."

"I will?"

"Every night for the next few years."

I looked away from him at that, not quite sure of what to feel at that. I looked around at the meadow as I thought. It was really pretty…and Edward did seem pretty nice, when he wasn't creeping me out. It would actually be a nice break to have someone to talk to after a day of being around Jessica…

"That girl was mean to you, wasn't she?" he murmured suddenly, making me jump. It took me a few minutes to realize his words.

I looked up at him then. How did he know that was where my thoughts had gone to? Tears began to well up in my eyes. Though I tried to be brave and a be a big girl at school when Jessica often publicly humiliated me at school, as well as when she said mean things to me, the things she did hurt me, deep down. I sometimes cried about it when I was alone, unable to help myself. The way she would embarrass me in front on out classmates was so degrading.

When Edward saw my tears, he scooted closer to me, and brought me close to his chest while wrapping his arms around me. At first, I was startled by his embrace, but I soon relaxed and cried myself out as he let me soak his shirt with my tears. He gently stroked my hair and rubbed my back while he crooned hushed, comforting words in my ear, despite the fact that I couldn't really hear them all that well. Once I was all cried out, and as I was sniffling, his words changed.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "She won't be mean to you anymore."

I looked up at him with my now red, puffy eyes.

"Really?" I croaked out, my voice hoarse for some reason. He nodded his head while smiling kindly down at me. I placed my head back down on his chest, snuggling further into him while he nuzzled his face in my hair. For a moment, I thought he was smelling my hair, but I ignored that, liking the silence and peace that I was feeling to really be bothered.

"I can teach you to draw, if you'd like?" he offered suddenly. I nodded my head eagerly. I thought about how Edward was being so nice. He wasn't really scaring me as much as he had yesterday; in fact, right now, in his arms, I wasn't scared of him at all. Maybe it was because he was my friend. A very good friend, one whom I could tell all of my secrets to. And I believe that Edward wanted to be my friend as well.

We sat in the meadow for a while longer, sitting in that same position the whole time, and talked every now and then. Edward seemed to understand me, he just sat there and listened to me as I told him little things about my life. It almost seemed as if he was absorbing everything I said into himself. I would try to move away from him now and then, but he refused to allow me to do so, keeping me locked in his arms.

Eventually, though, he sighed and moved me away, but still keeping his hands on my shoulders.

"I have to go now," he said softly. My face dropped; I have enjoyed talking to him. He looked upset too, but only for a minute.

"But don't worry, you'll see me again tomorrow night," he said, brightening. My own face lit up as well.

"Really?" I asked, excited. He nodded. "I have to teach you how to draw, remember?"

I did, becoming even more excited at the prospect of being able to have a drawn memory of the meadow.

"And don't worry about that girl, she won't bother you anymore," he said firmly. After that, he softly kissed my forehead, then stood up. His eyes still watched me as he walked back into the shadows.

I woke up right as he disappeared from my sight, in my bed as if nothing had happened. Just like a dream. Well, I supposed that it really was a dream, but that didn't matter as long as I got to see Edward again. My earlier thoughts, my earlier promise not to think about seeing him again had vanished. All I wanted was to see Edward again, and I knew I would get my wish. I knew I would see my friend again.

* * *

_Edward's Point of View_

* * *

This was perfect!

Bella was beginning to trust me, just as I knew she would. Now it was only a matter of time…

I kept telling myself that I still had to wait another eight years, yet it still felt as if I had already waited long enough. I didn't want to wait anymore, but I had to. I knew that waiting was all part of the plan. One day, she would love me, and then I could claim her as mine. My mate. _My_ Bella.

Yes, soon…

* * *

**Seven Year Mark**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

Seven years. Today, my fifteenth birthday, marked the seventh year since I first met Edward. Every night, when I went to bed, I found myself in that same meadow, and I would always seem my friend Edward. During these past seven years, Edward had become my one confident, my one true best friend, the only person who I could tell everything to and just…be myself. I've told Edward almost all of my secrets, everything I wanted, everything I hate, basically almost everything in my life, and all that resolved around me.

I've told him so much about my life, so much until there was only one that he didn't know.

I couldn't really imagine my life without Edward. Sometimes I felt as though he were the one thing which stopped me from falling apart and going completely insane. If I didn't have Edward to confide in, it would all just bottle up, and, eventually, I would have just exploded. Maybe I was overstating things here, but, either way, I felt like I couldn't do without him. I needed our conversations, I needed the safety I felt in his presence, I needed our friendship…I needed him.

Of course, that didn't mean I didn't notice that some strange things would also happen. Okay, one strange thing, to be exact. It seemed that, whenever I told him about something that was upsetting me, my problem would just disappear the next day, never to bother me again.

I remembered the first time I noticed it happen. It was the day after my second meeting with Edward, the day that I had told him about Jessica and how she often humiliated me. The next day, when I went to school, I had been expecting Jessica to come and say something mean to me at lunch, like she usually did. I was surprised when she didn't.

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

_I was sitting at my usual lunch table next to Angela, and we were just talking with each other. However, I knew that it would not stay like that as my heart began to beat quicker and my hands began to sweat. I knew that Jessica would be coming over any minute, ready to embarrass me publicly in anyway she could. I was fearing what she would say – or do – in order to accomplish this task for today._

_I saw her enter the room from the corner of my eye, shifting a bit in my seat; it wouldn't be long now. I knew the minute she saw me, her eyes gleaming with an evil look when she caught sight of me. She began to take a step in my direction. However, before she had even completed sifting her weight from one foot to the other, she stopped._

_The evil look on her face was suddenly replaced with an expression of complete fear. She stood still, remaining in place with the same frightened look on her face, almost as if she was frozen in fear. She shook her head, as if she was trying to shake away something, but it was to no avail. Her face, when she turned back towards me, remained scared, and her feet still refused to move an inch further towards me. Then she…just walked away!_

_I couldn't believe it. Jessica had never missed a chance to humiliate me during lunch, never. Once she set her mind to being mean to someone, she did it without a second thought, and no one, no one, would stop her, especially when her victim was me. But today? She had just stopped and walked the other way._

_I couldn't help but wonder what it was that had scared her enough to make her give up on trying to torment me. I knew it wasn't me; she had never been scared of humiliating me before. I turned to see what it was behind me that had scared her, but saw nothing. _

* * *

**End Flashback**

* * *

I had never forgotten that day, the day Jessica had first looked at me with such a frightened expression. But it was not the last time she did so. The weeks following that first time, she would try and walk towards me, but she always stopped, and it would once again be caused by fear. Eventually, she gave up entirely, never bothering anymore; every now and then, though, I still saw her look my way for a second, and that fear would return.

This wasn't a singular incident either. Other people had made fun of me as well, and then they had suddenly stopped the day after they did so, never bothering me again. Also, they always looked so afraid of me as well. I had once asked Edward about this, thinking he may have had something to do with it, but he simply said, "Told you so, didn't I?"

So, I just excepted it, just like I excepted my situation with Edward.

Of course, sometimes, I wondered why I always met Edward when I fell asleep, and why I always ended up meeting him in the meadow, instead of somewhere else. But these thoughts never really bothered me; I didn't really care about the reason, not as long as I got to see Edward. As long as I got to see my friend, I would except whatever forces that brought Edward from whatever plane of existence he belonged to, and allowed us to see each other.

However, there was one bump in my otherwise perfect friendship with Edward. Despite everything I had already told Edward, and despite how much I trusted him, there was one thing I've never told him; that was Mike Newton. Even after all this time, I still had a crush on him, as did Jessica, however unimportant she was. And, luckily for me, it seemed that Mike still liked me, as he hung out with me at every chance he got, and avoided Jessica like she was the plague, whenever he could do so.

I don't know why I've never told Edward about Mike, but whenever I came even remotely close to telling him, I would suddenly feel fear course through me. It wasn't the kind of fear that you feel when the teacher asks a question, and you're scared they'll pick you for the answer because you don't know it, no. This was the kind of fear that you would feel if you where faced with a murderer who you knew was going to kill you, even if they didn't act like they would. It was this fear that was the reason why I hadn't told Edward so far, but I kept telling myself that I would.

We were sitting in the meadow, talking and laughing as we always did. This was the best part of the day for me, these times with Edward. They felt like the best parts of my life. This was my happy place, where I could go just to get away form the world and it's worries; where I could just sit and talk to Edward about anything and everything.

"So, how are you coming along with the drawing?" he asked, twirling a piece of my hair with his fingers as he sat right next to me.

Just as he promised he would do, Edward had been teaching me how to better my drawing skills during our time in the meadow. I had to admit, thanks to him, I had gotten better, though most of my practice consisted of drawing the meadow, Edward himself, and a self-portrait of myself.

"I really think I'm getting the hang of it now," I said, feeling proud of myself, especially when I remembered how bad I used to be.

"When was the last time you practiced?" This was on par to his usual inquiries about my art. It was his way of checking that I did my 'homework', so to speak.

"Today. I did another drawing of the meadow. It was pretty good, though it could still use some work."

"You'll have to draw it again tomorrow night so I can see."

I bit my lip, twirling my hands together, wondering what he would say about my request.

"Actually, I was hoping I could practice portraits some more. I'm still not that good at them yet," I pouted at that last sentence, hating that I still hadn't gotten the hang of them, despite the fact that he had been teaching me for the past six and a half years.

He chuckled. "Of course, if you wish. Have you tried drawing other things?"

Again, another inquiry that he always asked. Only this time, I actually had something to report other than my usual response of 'no'.

"I tried drawing some of the words a few days ago," I said, feeling a bit proud once more, now that I had something positive to report.

"And how did that go?" I tried to hide the grimace I had at the question from him.

"Okay," I said, looking everywhere but him.

"Just okay?" he raised an eyebrow skeptically, staring at me as I fidgeted.

"Ugh! It was fine until those trees came into the picture," I said, annoyed.

He laughed. "No, you've never been good at drawing trees."

I glared at him as he continued to laugh, and looked away, thinking about something else. My mind went back to the events which had taken place between Mike and myself today, and I blushed upon remembering. I felt a smile tug on my face as I remembered what these events were.

Mike had asked me on a date. After all these years, he had finally gathered up the courage to ask me out, but, hey, better late than never in my opinion. I was just glad that he had finally asked me, as I was beginning to loose hope that he would.

Seeing my sudden blush, Edward immediately asked what I was thinking. He often asked me that question – "What are you thinking about?". I didn't know why, but he often found it very important to know every thought that crossed my mind.

"Tell me," he pleaded. I shook my head. It was the same as every other time my thoughts were about Mike: Just when I thought about telling him, the irrational fear returned. _But Edward would never really hurt me, right?_ I looked at Edward's face. It was happy right now, teasing, as he tried to figure out my thoughts. Surely that wouldn't change just because I mention that there is another boy in my life, one that I liked. After all, Edward is my friend. Surely he'll help me with Mike, give me advice like the brother I think of him as, when it's not as my best friend. He'll be happy for me.

Well, why not tell Edward about Mike? I could think of no reason why I shouldn't, and pushed away the fear that I always felt when I thought about telling. I refused to hide it any longer, repeatingly telling myself _Edward won't hurt me. He'll be happy for me._

And so, with that last thought in my mind, I told him.

If I had known the consequences, I would have kept my mouth shut, for, as soon as the words of my infatuation for Mike came out, the Edward I knew was gone. And he would never return.

* * *

**True Intentions**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

r

The expression that crossed his face…I had never seen that expression on him before. It was an angry, murderous look. His breathing was hard, his haw clenched tightly shot, his browns pulled together in an angry line of his pitch black eyes. I trembled upon seeing them; I had seen his eyes black before, on rare moments now and then, when he would sometimes look at me in a certain way, but this was so much different. Despite the darkness of the black color, they almost seemed to glow read with fury.

His breathing got harsher and quicker with each intake of breath, the furious lines along his face growing more intense as well. Though I still trembled, it seemed to be the only movement I was capable of, unable to move an inch towards him, unable to move an inch away from him. I almost felt as if one movement could blow the whole earth up like some atomic bomb. But I knew I couldn't just sit her motionless forever, especially as the fear inside of me grew stronger with each passing second. I had to do or say something.

Hesitantly, I reached my hand forward to touch his shoulder.

"Edward?" I meant to sound concerned – not that I wasn't – but it came out as more of a squeak. A growl escaped his lips, and I cowered back. _Don't dogs and wolves only do that?_

"You…said…yes…to him," he said slowly, accusingly, anger coating every inch of his tone. He didn't have to question it; he just knew that it was true. I shrunk back even more. Edward had never used that voice with me, and it scared me. Still, I nodded my heard shakily, hoping that this was just nothing that I needed to worry about, that he was just feeling overprotective, brotherly feelings. But I had the feeling that his anger was the product of more than just overprotective brother feelings…

By now, he was baring his teeth as he continued to growl through them. When I nodded, he suddenly leaped up, and stood in front of me, still looking down at me with those burning eyes.

"WHY?" he yelled at me. I jumped from his loud voice, and I felt tears pooling in my eyes over his behavior, unwanted tears.

"I-I…" I couldn't find my voice, blinking away some of the tears that ended up blurring my vision. A part of me was hoping that, with the sight of my tears, he would go back to how he usually was, and comfort me, brushing the tears away, but I somehow knew that it wasn't going to happen.

"WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?" his voice seemed to grow louder and more animalistic with each word. Anger flared through me at those words, giving me the courage to defend myself. I stood up to do that, but when I got to my feet, he stepped forward, grabbing my arms as he stared down at me. I couldn't look away from his face, and, for a moment, as I looked into his fierce eyes, I thought he was possessed.

"WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SAY YES TO ANYONE ELSE? WHY DID YOU SAY YES? WHY? WHY? ANSWER ME!"

"Because I like him!" I yelled back at him, finally finding my voice. I took a few breaths, not wanting to suddenly burst out sobbing. My emotions were going haywire right now, and I was afraid that I would definitely burst out sobbing if I didn't get myself under a bit of control.

"I…I thought you would be happy for me," I whispered, more tears falling, though I was beginning to gain control over them.

"Happy!" he spat out. "Happy that _my _mate betrayed me by accepting a date from another man while she belonged to _ME_?"

I stood there, stunned.

"Belong to you…Your mate?... What are you talking about, Edward?" I asked, confused. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

It seemed that my words were the catalyst in completing his full transformation from what I knew about his. His murderous expression was now gone, replaced with another that scared me even more. His eyes, still dark, but not from anger, held a wicked gleam in them as he looked at me with the emotion that I could only describe as lust. I couldn't believe the animalistic desire I could see in them.

This was not my Edward, this was a complete stranger to me, a completely different person. And my only desire right now, all I wanted to do, was run far, far away from him.

"Did you honestly believe that what we have been doing these past seven years has been for no purpose?" he asked darkly. I continued to look at him confused.

"I have tried to be patient and wait for you, to earn your trust…to earn your love," he said that last part softly, as if he didn't want me to hear before returning to the dark tone he had been using, "but my patience has run its course now. I am _tired_ of waiting. I have wanted you for far too long."

My trembling intensified to full on shaking, fearing what he would do next as he slid his left hand up to cup my face. The force he used made it so that I was unable to turn my head away from those piercing eyes, which were still looking upon my face. His other arm began to creep around my waist, pulling me closer to his body while trapping me so that there was no escape.

Then, without warning, he swooped down, and crushed his lips to mine in a dominating kiss.

The tears that I had managed to stop earlier returned full forced, running down my cheeks. He had never done anything like this to me before, and fear ran ramped through me. I whimpered when he swept his tongue along my bottom lip, trying to gain entrance that I denied, clamping my lips tightly shut. I heard his growl as I continued to deny him access into my mouth. Then, I felt his cold hand on my breast, over the clothes I had on, thankfully, but I gasped, unwillingly giving him the entrance that I had denied before. He was quick in taking advantage, thrusting his tongue past my lips.

His tongue explored the cavern of my mouth, his hand continuing to lay upon my covered breast. He sometimes massaged it, no doubt hoping to arouse some kind of response from me, but the only response he received was an increase of the tears streaming down my face, and the muffled sobs that escaped my throat, while I tried to ignore the electricity I felt at his touch despite of myself, and I allowed my new found hate for this man to foster.

He continued to kiss me for the longest time, only breaking apart every now and then so I could breathe. Even then, he would growl possessively, saying "Mine. All mine," over and over again. The whole time, I just stood there, trying to pretend that this wasn't really happening, that it was just a bad dream. But then I remembered that this was a dream, my dream to be pacific. It was my bed dream, my nightmare.

Finally, he drew back, though he quickly replaced both arms around my waist. They felt like cold iron bars, refusing to let me move even an inch away from him. We were both quiet for a very long time. I was too stunned to say anything at the moment, and he was too busy staring down at me once again. I had seen the look that was in his eyes before over the years, but I had never thought anything of it. Now, it sent new shivers down my spine. Now, I knew why he looked at me in that way, why he had looked at me that way since I was a little girl. Now, it held a new meaning altogether.

He reached up again, this time to clutch my chin so that I would not look away as he looked even deeper into my eyes, as if he was trying to convey something, to make me understand that, without a doubt, his next statement was the pure truth.

"You are mine," he purred. "You were mine the minute you first stepped into this meadow. You were mine the minute you were _born_."

"What…what do you mean?" I asked shakily. He let out a mocking laugh while I just shook with my fear.

"You still don't get it, do you?" He growled out. "_This _isn't normal Bella. _I'm_ not normal. There's a reason why those people who were mean to you stopped being so, a reason why you have dreamt of me every night for years, a reason why you belong to me, a reason why we are meant to be together."

"What reason?" I asked, though I wasn't certain I really wanted to know.

He grabbed my left hand then, yanking it to lay above his chest, just on top of the spot where his heartbeat should be. But there wasn't any heartbeat…

Then, something else became very clear. Something that I should have realized before now. After all the dreams I've had of him, I should've realized that there was something different about him, that he wasn't normal like he just said. Even though he – though _this_ – was just a dream, he wasn't human.

"Do you see now?" he asked darkly. I looked away from my hand on his chest, and back into his black eyes.

"What are you?" I asked in a small voice, wondering exactly what kind of creature I had dreamt up. He smirked evilly, then leaned down to my ear. His cold breath caused me to shiver again, and I noticed his smirk widen in response to my reaction out of the corner of my eye.

"Vampire," he whispered. My eyes widened, and my breath caught. Vampire? Out of all the monsters and creatures in the world, my imagination had conjured up a vampire. That answer had been the furthest thing from my expectations. My shaking began anew as I processed what he had told me.

He pulled me to him gently, so that my face ended up hidden in his shoulder blade, and he began to stroke his hands through my brown hair as he hushed me. Another time, this might have comforted me, being in his embrace, but now, his comforting act only seemed to be a mock of what it was meant to be. It only made me shake and cry harder.

"There, there, love," he cooed. I cringed at the name he had given me, realizing that I should have realized something was wrong the first time he had called me that. I didn't know anyone who called another person 'love' without it meaning something.

"Now, listen, and listen well, love," he said, his voice sounding as if he was talking to a little child. "You may not think you are mine, but, believe me, you are. Now, we're going to have to continue meeting like this for the time being. I shall visit you each night when you go to sleep, like always. However, one day, and one day soon, you just might get a little visit during the day. Now, as much as I would love to meet you before the planned time, I shouldn't appear before that time, should I?"

I shuddered at the thought of him appearing outside my dreams, though I knew that it wasn't possible. He to my shudder as my answer.

"But make no mistake, my sweet," he continued, "when the appointed time comes, we _will_ meet outside this little realm of your dreams. And when that day comes, you will be mine, and you will love me. Do you understand, love?"

My anger flared at this, and I quickly regained my composure, pushing myself away from him. He wasn't expecting me to do that, and, while he remained unmoved, I was able to place myself a few steps away from him.

"No," I said firmly.

He growled in fury that I hadn't agreed with him, and he pulled me back towards him, grabbing my face so that I was forced to look at him once again. For a moment, my face showed my fear as I saw his anger, but I covered it up quickly.

"I'm sorry, love, but you don't really have any say in this matter," he growled out, looking as if he was trying to calm himself down.

"Actually, I do," I retorted. "What are you going to do about it?"

I didn't know where my confidence came from, but all I know is that I would most likely regret it later, fear of what he planned to do with my disobedience.

"Are you questioning me, Bella?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, what can you do, really? I mean, you're not even real!" I scoffed. I think that was the only reason why I was adding fuel to the fire that was his anger. Nothing he did could really harm me; scare me, yes, but harm…

"Don't underestimate me," he threatened darkly, but I was too worked up to really comprehend it.

"Go on then!" I yelled. "Prove it! Do something to make me fear you!"

He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, but then a wicked glean came into his eyes as a devilish smirk tugged at his lips. As I looked at his face, I regretted what I had said, and wished that I hadn't pushed him. But I couldn't take back what I had said.

"So be it," he said. I closed my eyes, preparing to feel some sort of pain, but felt nothing, and opened my eyes once more. Everything around me was blurred, and I blinked to clear my vision.

That was when I realized that I was back in my bed, sunlight streaming through my windows, telling me that it was a new day.

* * *

**Death and Decisions**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I laid there for a few minutes, just absorbing what had happened the previous night. Tears filled my eyes as I realized that my Edward was gone. My best friend was gone forever. The man that I had felt so close to for years and years; the man that I had considered to be my brother. Where was he? The man that I had seen last night was not that man. Would I ever seem my friend again? Would I ever speak to him once more? No. No, I wouldn't.

But the one thing I drew comfort from was the fact that he could never enter my reality. He would only ever be the nightmare I had when I went to sleep, and dreamt – that was the one place he could contaminate. Surely he could never contaminate my world when I was awake. And I truly did believe that. I believed that he could never have any effect on my life outside of my dreams. I sighed with relief before I got out of bed, and got ready for school.

I was excited on the way to school. Tonight was my date with Mike, and I couldn't wait. I still couldn't get over the fact that, after all this time, we were finally about to go out with each other. I only hoped I didn't embarrass myself.

Jake parked, and we both went our separate ways to class. It was handy, having an older brother going to the same school as you; they could drive you to and from there when you still weren't old enough to get a license. As my thoughts were on the date that was going to happen later tonight, I was having trouble keeping a goofy happy smile off of my face when I saw Angela running towards me with tears running down her cheeks. The smile slipped as my brows furrowed in worry as she approached me.

"Ang, what's wrong?" I asked, panicked a bit. She sniffled.

"A student was found in the words this morning, near my house," she explained.

"So? Were they hurt or something?" I asked, though I felt slightly relieved now. Knowing Angela, it probably wasn't someone we even knew, and it didn't even turn out to be as bad as she thought.

"I saw the body. They were dead," she sobbed. _Dead?_ My heartbeat began to beat faster as Angela began to repeat "So much blood," over and over again, under her breath.

"Who was it, Angela?" I asked shakily, though I feared that I might already know. She stopped her muttering to look at me, and I felt the dread in my stomach grow as I saw the look of pity in her eyes.

"Mike Newton."

I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. My breath was knocked out of me, escaping me as I gasped. And then, I fainted.

* * *

I was surprised to discover myself in the meadow. I normally didn't end up here until I had gone to bed, but, right now, I was unconscious. I began to look around myself, knowing that Edward was bound to be here; I was right. He stood in the shadows as always, but had begun walking towards me, smirking evilly. I gasped as I noticed his blood splattered clothes, and began to take steps backwards as he came closer, trying to get away from him. Her just continued to follow.

"Stay away from me, Edward," I warned, feeling myself hit a tree behind me, informing me that there was nowhere else to go at the moment. His smirk only grew as he ignored me, only stopping his walking when he stood within arms length in front of me.

"You dared me, love," he said. "I warned you not to underestimate me. If you hadn't pushed me, then your little _friend_ might still be alive now."

Tears began to form in my eyes as I remembered Mike. Poor Mike, who didn't deserve to die, who hadn't done anything wrong. Yet, he had died, all because I had tried to fight against Edward, had dared him to do something, thinking he was all talk. Guilt washed over me as I realized what my actions had brought on. It was my fault, all my fault, that Mike had be killed.

"How could you?" I whispered brokenly. "He didn't do anything!"

"He was a threat," he simply said. "He was coming between you and me. I will get rid of anything and anyone that threatens our future together."

As it did last nice, anger ran through my veins at his words.

"I hate you!" I spat out.

He didn't like those words, as they wiped the smirk off his face. His smug expression disappeared at once, and was replaced with the same furious expression from the night before. He reached out in front of him, grabbing my shoulders, harshly shaking me.

"No you don't Bella!" he growled out in anger, but I heard tinge of desperation in his tone as well. "Don't ever say that!"

Then, also like last night, he kissed me again as I tried, without success, to move away from him, especially since I could feel the blood he had spattered all over himself. His arms had repositioned themselves though, one around my waist and the other hand fisted in my hair. Eventually, I gave up fighting against him, and just stood there, motionless with my eyes opened as he attacked my mouth. He didn't like that, in fact, he liked it even less than when I was trying to get away from him.

He drew back and glared at me with those piercing eyes, but I thought I saw a glimpse of hurt within them at my rejection.

"Dammit! Why won't you respond to me?" he yelled, yet he seemed to be asking himself rather than me. I wanted to yell at him, tell him that it was because he was a monster, that he was a heartless murderer. I wanted to yell that I hated him over and over again, and that nothing he said would change it. But no words would come out of my mouth, whether out of fear or I just didn't care about what I said anymore, I didn't know.

"You're still young…" he muttered. His expression was calculating, as if he was still trying to figure something out, and I had a feeling that his words were for himself rather than me. "You don't know what live is…You're still inexperienced…You don't know what it is to want someone in that way…Yes, that's it, you don't know what your really saying. But you will know soon, and you will love me eventually."

The last part was meant for me. Of that, I had no doubt about. I had no problem with letting him think that way if it kept him content, not wanting someone else to get hurt because of me. If he wanted to believe that I wasn't falling for him right now was because I was young, then so be it.

But I knew that what he wanted would never be. I would never love Edward. He had deceived me right from the start, pretending to be my friend, making me think I could trust him. And I had fallen for it, telling him my secrets one by one until there wasn't a single detail about my life that he did not know. The only thing I had ever kept from him was my crush on Mike, and even then, I had told him. It was what had gotten me into this predicament in the first place.

I wasn't expecting what he did next. He pulled me away from the edge of the forest, leading back to the meadow, where he pulled me down as he laid on the ground. He pulled me closer, making it so that my face was hidden in his chest as his arms wrapped around me, trapping me once more. I froze, though I felt a surge of anger go through me as he held me like this, in a position that I had seen my parents in on their bed.

It just felt so _wrong_ to be lying like this. Besides the fact that my face was now pressed into the blood on his clothes, I had always believed that this kind of embrace was one that should only be reserved for lovers, for people who loved each other _equally_. I hated him for making it appear like we both felt that way on the outside. He breathed in the scent of my hair, and I stiffened as I felt something stirring against my stomach. He let out a moan which caused my body to act like a wooden board even more.

"You smell so good, love. So sweet," he purred. "Don't worry, though. I can assure you that it's not in the way that would cause any danger to your life."

I didn't quite understand what he meant, but I realized that I really didn't know that much about vampires to understand anything about them. Vampire. That word sent shivers down my spine. I had seen loads of vampire movies and read many books. They had never scared me before, but I knew that this was much different. I had a feeling that Edward wasn't like those vampires in horror movies like Dracula, or like the vampires in any of the books I'd read. I had a feeling that he was much worse.

"Don't ever think you can escape me, love," he suddenly said. "I will always find you, no matter where you go or how far you run. And, I'd advise that do not test my temper again. Who knows who else could get hurt if you did."

I shuddered again, understanding his threat. He could and would hurt or kill so many people if I didn't listen. I knew he would; he had killed Mike, he wouldn't be afraid to kill someone else if I misbehaved.

He finally let me go, a frown on his face.

"You have to go now," he said, calm once again, "but you'll see me again tonight, love."

I shuddered again, thinking about when I would go to sleep tonight, knowing that he wasn't lying. I wondered if these dreams would ever stop, if there would soon be a day when I would not end up in this meadow, and have to look upon his face once again. But no. I knew, deep down inside, that, despite my inward hopes, it would never end. I knew that Edward was never going to let me go.

* * *

"Bella? Bella? Bella, honey, can you hear me?" Jake's panicked voice was the first thing I could hear as I was brought back to the real world. I slowly began to open my eyes. Everything was blurred at first; all I could make out were these black shapes above me. Soon, though, my eyes began to focus in on the shapes, and I could soon make out the features of Jake, Angela, and a few worried teachers who were gathered around me. I also noticed that I was lying on the ground, me head in Jake's lap.

"Are you okay, Bells?" Jake asked, worry clearly visible on his face. I nodded. I didn't really need to ask them what happened because I already knew, as I could remember everything as clear as day. But, I figured that I could put on an act anyways.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to sound confused. Jake and Angela looked at each other, obviously questioning whether they should tell me or nor. They really didn't need to worry about it though. I remembered that Angela had told me about Mike's death anyways. They shouldn't worry about my reaction to Mike's death. Instead, they shouldn't be worried about me when I fall asleep at night, have to face a stalker dream vampire who just so happens to be obsessed with claiming me. But they couldn't know about that. They could never know about my nightmares.

"Well, um, you see," Jake struggled to find the best to tell me. "You sort of passed out when, um, when, um…when you heard about what happened to Mike."

I nodded my head slightly, putting on a surprised face as if I had just remembered. Angela had started crying again at the reminder. Kind Angela, who always felt sorry for other people, and never herself. I suddenly wondered what I would have done if Edward had decided to kill Angela last night to teach me a lesson instead of Mile. What would I have done then? How would I have coped with the guilt of Angela's death?

How will I cope now with Mike's death, knowing that it was my fault? I tried to remind myself that Edward could have killed any of the people I cared about, and, as that thought came to my mind, I was overcome with fear. Edward knew about everyone in my life. After all, I had told him everything about them myself. If I did anything to anger him again, he could kill anyone of them, just like he did with Mike.

All of these thoughts were going through my mind as Jake rubbed my back and offered comforting words. I realized then that I was crying. Thankfully, they obviously thought that it was to do with Mike's death. While I supposed that it was true, I was mostly crying from guilt and from the fear of what Edward would do if I ever pushed him again. I knew that I would do my best to never anger him like that, though I wouldn't go as far as to act like I was in love with him. I would just bear the dreams I had, and not utter a word of complaint.

My only consolation for bearing these dreams? That he would never be able to actual haunt my reality. I had to keep that hope because it was the only way to keep the one thing I feared at bay. It was the only thing that was keeping the fear the Edward could possibly appear in the real light of day from overwhelming me.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle it very well if he did appear in my reality.

* * *

**Unwanted Touch**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

_I hate him. I hate him. I hate him._

"Bella," he cooed in my ear.

_I hate him. I hate him. I hate him…_

This was the only thought going through my head. I didn't think, see, hear, or know anything other than those three words. I hate him. Whenever I was in the meadow, it seemed to be the only piece of knowledge I possessed. Every word, every touch, every look only fueled the strength of this knowledge.

We were laying down, in the position that I believed should only be used my lovers. I had been in this position too many times for my liking. Every night was the same, yet there was never a moment of my nightmare that never failed to frighten me. I hated every minute. I hated him.

I know that many wouldn't understand what frightened me if they saw my nightmare. There wasn't anything that jumped out yelling 'boo', there weren't any ghosts with clanking chains, no giant spiders, no reapers, no werewolves…however, there was Edward. And, to me, that was the most frightening and menacing thing to exist on Earth. I didn't need to remember that he actually was a monster – a vampire, to be exact – to be afraid of him. All he had to do was stare at me in that way I hated, with those hungry black eyes, and I would feel the need to cower in the corner and scream.

There wasn't a single night when I did not pray and beg that I would not have to see his face again, or just hopelessly wish that, by some miracle, my nightmares would stop, even if it was just for one night, but I never got my wish. Every night, he would be there in the shadows, waiting for me. Most nights, I just stood there, waiting for his cold arms to enclose around me, keeping silent for the whole time I was there.

Of course, there were those nights in the beginning when I couldn't stand it any longer, and I would run, screaming and yelling, from him. I was always begging him to leave me alone, despite the fact that I knew he would never do so. In fact, my running would just cause him to laugh, as if it was a great sport to him. Sometimes, he would let me believe I actually got away from him, only to breathe cold air on the back on my neck, and let out a dark chuckle that I would hear right my ear. This was usually followed by his speaking those dreaded words.

"_You can never escape me, Bella. You belong to me. We're meant to be together forever."_

I had soon stopped running and begging after months of no positive result. Tonight would just be another night of me keeping my mouth shut, and just letting him do what he wanted. I was thankful that he never actually raped me or beaten me, though I wondered why he had never done anything like that to me. It was obvious he wanted to; he had told me enough times, but I didn't question it in fear that it would occur to him that there was no reason not to.

Of course, just because he didn't do those things didn't mean he didn't do other things to me.

I laid there silently beside him as he held me in his firm embrace, stroking his fingers through my hair. Save for my name, he had not said much tonight, which I considered to be lucky for me. The nights I hated the most were the nights when he would speak to me, telling me how our destinies were bound together, how our loves were entwined in an unbreakable force, how we would spend eternity together. I shuddered at the though of an eternity with Edward.

He told me very little about vampires during out time together, but I did learn a few things, such as their speed and inhuman strength, by myself. Spending every night with Edward had allowed me to notice things like that, just as they allowed me to notice his eye color changed from gold to black often. I was unsure if he had anyone else in his world, like family or friends, for he never mentioned them. Of course, I was obviously never really enthusiastic about talking with him anyways. In fact, I probably tried to avoid conversation with him at all costs.

"You're so silent, love," Edward remarked, sounding over-dramatic. "Is anything the matter?"

My fist clenched in anger as he teased me, purposely, just so I would say something to him. He always did this, knowing how desperate I was to avoid speaking with him. He knew I cringed at every word spoken in my ear, so he deliberately asked me questions, questions that didn't really matter if they were answered or not. I didn't actually have to answer them if I didn't want to, but I wasn't up to facing his wrath if I didn't.

I knew he wouldn't really hurt me, not physically, but I knew he wouldn't hesitate to harm someone else if I dared to anger him. He had done it once, but Mike Newton's death had only been a warning. Next time, he would hurt someone closer to me than a boy who had asked me out.

"No Edward. Nothing's wrong," I said in a monotone.

"Then why do you say nothing?" he asked; he would have sounded serious if I didn't know him so well.

"Because I like the quite," I sighed, tired of having the same conversation yet again. I hated how he did this just to annoy me every night, but then…when didn't I hate him nowadays?

We stayed silent for a few more minutes until he suddenly grabbed my arm, bringing it up to wrap around his neck. Her continued to hold it there, making it seem like we were in a lover's embrace even more. It angered me how me made such a mockery of these intimate positions reserved only for lovers. I would have yanked my arm away if I didn't know that he was far too strong for me, and would therefore make no difference. So I kept it there, even after he had removed his hand.

I began to tense as I felt his arms tighten around me. It wouldn't really make much difference to someone else, but, to me, it made this situation so much worse than it already was. I felt so trapped, and I was trapped in every sense of the word. Edward had me trapped. Whether it was in his arms, in his eyes, in his voice, or in this damn meadow, he would always have me trapped.

_How had it come to this_ I asked myself. How could it have possibly become like this? How had everything changed, from seeing this man as my one true friend, a man whom I had been so close to and who I had trusted with all my heart that I had considered him like my own _brother_…to this? To being so terrified of him, hating him so much, and seeing him as my worst nightmare? I had asked these questions so many times, over and over again, and every time, I had never been able to come up with an answer.

Of course, I knew what circumstances had lead to this. How could I ever forget that day which had changed everything so much? There were times when I wished so badly that things could go back to the way they had been before. So many times, I wished that I could go back to the days when I would look forward to speak with my best friend Edward, instead of now, when I would dread seeing the same horror which only had one name: Edward.

I tensed all the more as I felt Edward's hand slowly inch downwards toward my ass. I couldn't help my next actions; I pushed fiercely against his chest, desperately attempting to get away from him.

"It's alright, Bella," he cooed, "just relax."

I felt his hand cup my ass, and my eyes began to tear up.

"Please don't, Edward," I whimpered. I always knew how these nights would go. These were the most terrible nights. Yes, every night was terrible enough, but it was these nights I feared the most.

"Shhh, Bella," he continued to sooth me. "Just let your body feel."

His other hand, which had been resting on my neck, slowly began moving downward, caressing my skin with his fingertips until he reached the V of my top. He undid the first button, followed by the next and the next while his other hand continued to stroke my ass. I knew what was coming next. His hand slowly began to inch into the cup of my bra, and, despite myself, my nipple hardened as he flicked it, making me want to moan.

"I know you want this, Bella," he purred in my ear. "There's no point in trying to fight against it."

My body was betraying me as he continued his ministrations on my breasts. I was desperately fighting off the moan that threatened to escape my throat, but I failed as my bra was completely moved out of the way, and he lowered his mouth to my taunt nipple. I felt him smirk as the throaty moan escaped; he always too pleasure in my reactions. He moved me over to lie on my back completely as he hovered over me.

The hand that had been on my ass had now moved to unfasten my jeans. I whimpered, knowing what was next. As I suspected, his hand dipped into my panties, feeling the little wetness that had begun to gather. I hated how my body reacted to him like this, but I had no control over it; I never did. He found my clit, and began to circle it with his thumb, causing more wetness to gather and my hips to buck. I began to pant and he pinched and played with my clit, and pleasure started to take over once more.

Slowly, he inched a single finger into my pussy, and I gasped, then moaned at the invasion. He curled his finger slowly to touch that sweet spot, and my eyes rolled back in my head as he rubbed the sensitive place. My growing wetness allowed a second finger to enter my heated core, filling me once more. His long fingers began to slowly pump in and out of me. I wasn't able to hide my desire now, as I was panting so hard by now.

There was still a part of me screaming over and over to make this stop, to stop wanting him to do these wonderful things to my body, but I couldn't call it back to me now. I was too far gone in the pleasure he was bringing me to care anymore. His fingers were quickening in pace, bringing even more delicious sensations to my body, and I couldn't control my constant moans. Edward was enjoying that very much; my reactions never seemed to get old for him.

The tightening in my abdomen was becoming more defined, and I was growing closer to coming over the edge. Edward sensed that I was getting close, quickening his fingers even more as they continued to move in and out of me. Finally, I came hard, with a scream, all over Edward's fingers, and was left panting after the affects of my orgasm. Edward lifted his hand covered with my juices and raised it to his mouth, watching my face intently as he licked them clean. I wanted to cringe and look away, but I knew it would anger him.

I felt so ashamed with myself. I was disgusted that I had enjoyed what he had done to me. This was always how it was after he had done these things to me, on the rare night that he did. It would be a lie to say that I did not enjoy what he did, but, only at the time that he was doing it. Later, I would wish more than anything that I could change it, and not have acted so responsive. However, my reactions were inevitable, despite how it sickened me afterwards.

Edward wore a smug expression, more than satisfied with my reactions once again. For him, this was his way of confirming that I was his.

"You see, Bella," he said, "your body knows who it belongs to. It will only ever be _me_ who will do these things to you. No one else. Right, Bella?"

His eyes dared me to disagree, and, of course, I knew better not to.

"No, Edward, only you," I said.

"Good girl," he purred.

He leaned down to briefly kiss my lips, and I was grateful when he didn't kiss me deeper. That would have been more than my self-esteem could take. He fastened my jeans back up, and then the buttons to my top as well, treating me as if I couldn't do it myself, just like a child.

He unexpectedly stood up then, pulling me up with him. My legs were still a little weak from my orgasm, so Edward had to hold me by the top of my arms to keep me up. He smirked, knowing why I couldn't stand on my own. It was moment like this when I sincerely wished that I could wipe that smirk right off of his face.

"Now, my little Bella," he purred, "tomorrow's your birthday, is it not?"

I looked at him suspiciously, but nodded.

"And how old will you be?" he spoke as if he was speaking to a little child.

"Sixteen," I stated.

"Yes," he murmured, as if he was speaking to himself instead of to me. "Sixteen long years."

He looked back at me, and remembered that we were having a conversation – well, actually, that he was telling me something.

"Well, then," he continued, "tomorrow, there may just be a little surprise that I have for you."

I sighed. "Okay, you can give it to me when I come here tomorrow night."

He smirked. "Oh no, that would never do. You see, I will not be giving it to you here, Bella. But you will surely get a present from me tomorrow."

I looked at him confused, feeling a little scared. I didn't like the way he had said that.

"W…what do you mean?" my voice was a little shaky. "But we always meet here."

"Aw, do not fret, my love," he purred. "We will come back to this place, just a little differently than your used to."

What did that mean. Differently how? Something told me I really didn't want to know the answer that. He leaned down until his mouth was level with my ear, and whispered, "Tomorrow everything will change, for good."

And then, I woke up.

* * *

**Birthday Surprises**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I sighed in relief when I found myself lying in my bed, in my room, back at home once again. I looked at the alarm clock next to me, and saw that the time was 7:15, so I got out of bed to take my shower, and get ready for school.

Once I'd dried my hair and had gotten dressed, I went downstairs, apprehensively, as I knew that my mom and Jake were probably going to be giving me loads of attention before I went to school. Luckily, Charlie, my dad, knew how I hated attention and presents, and respected my privacy, so I knew I didn't have to worry about him. How I wished Renee was like that…I knew Jake only did it to annoy me, since he also knew how much I hated it.

It was as I feared. When I got down, Renee and Jake yelled out, "Happy Birthday!", and then pulled me into a hug. Charlie just stood to the side, and smiled at me with a knowing look, as if to say, "I know what you mean, but just endure it, and it will be all over before you know it."

"Here are your presents, honey," Renee gushed. She held out two presents. One was a little box wrapped in paper with a little ribbon, and the other was a bundle wrapped in the same birthday paper as the other. The first, I was guessing, was some kind of jewelry, and the other was probably a new outfit. I wasn't at all surprised to find that I was correct in my assumptions when I opened them, but I knew my family that way; they were easily predictable.

I opened the small box first, discovering a Poe's 'Raven' necklace, something I had wanted since I saw it in the Pyramid Collection catalog I had begun getting. The other package, when I opened it, was another Pyramid Collection item, this time a black ruffled knit wrap dress with three-quarters sleeves that would go down to my knees. I had to admit, unlike most of the these Renee and Jake picked out, they did a good job this time; I absolutely loved what they had given me. After I gave my mom a hug, she mentioned that I could wear it when we went out, as we were going to go my favorite Italian restaurant tonight.

"A few family friends of ours are going to join us as well, Bells. You don't mind, do you?" Charlie asked.

"No, of course not, Dad," I replied with a smile, pulling the necklace on.

"Oh, and there's another present for you as well," Charlie said, smiling.

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked curiously. I usually never got more than two presents from my family.

"Come and see," was the answer I was given.

We all stepped outside of the house, which made me even more curious as to what my third present could be. Then, Charlie nodded over in the direction of the driveway, and I saw a red Chevy truck sitting there.

"Oh my God!" I gushed. "Is that really mine?"

"It's all yours, Bella," Charlie said, obviously pleased that I liked it so much.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed as I ran over to hug my parents.

"Hey!" Jake said, faking being hurt. "I helped mend it!"

I smiled at him, and then went over to hug him as well, telling him thanks too. My spirits went down when Charlie said I couldn't drive it until I got my license in a few days, but I was still excited that I would be able to drive it as all. I couldn't wait until I got my driver's license. Jake had to drive me until I did, which I was fine with, Jake and I were pretty close as brother and sister, and really good friends

In some ways, he was the replacement of what Edward had once been too me.

Jake said he would pick me up later, and then drove away as I went over to Angela. She wished me a happy birthday, and gave me a birthday card. A few other people wished me a happy birthday as well, but there were few people I got along with in Forks High School apart Angela, her boyfriend Ben, Emily, Kim, and one or two others who would usually say hi to me when I met them in class.

It wasn't long before the big topic of the day reached my ears; apparently, there were a couple of new students at school. What surprised me was that it wasn't just one or two new students, there were apparently five of them, all of them having been adopted by the new doctor in town and his wife. Angela had told me that Dr. Cullen and his wife had been in Forks before, a couple of years ago, when they didn't have any kids with them, but that they had left a few months later. She told me that others were hoping that he was stay longer this time, as he was a very talented doctor.

I hadn't seen the Cullen children yet, but Angela and Kin had. They wasted no time in telling me how attractive they all were.

"Seriously, though," Kin gushed as we entered the cafeteria, "they're so gorgeous! I wish one of them had talked to me, especially one of the guys."

I just rolled my eyes. I felt pity for the new kids; it must be hard being the center of attention like this, and yet, still be treated like an outsider.

"Don't get your hopes up, Kim," Angela said. "I hear they're all together, like, _together,_ together."

"What!" Kim was obviously surprised, and I saw a little disappointment on her face. "But they all live together. I mean, sure, they're not actually related or anything, but still…that's just weird. But how can they _all_ be together when there's five of them?"

"Just one of them is single," Angela explained. "The youngest one, I think. But, by the looks of how he treated all the others who have already hit on him, he doesn't date at all."

"What do you mean?" Kim as we paid for out lunches. Not feeling hungry, I had only grabbed an apple to eat.

"Well, it's not surprising that girls have been throwing themselves at him all day, but, whenever they did, he either glared at them, or shoved them away," Angela said. "Not even Lauren or Jessica received any different. In fact, I think they got bruises from the way he shoved them away."

"Oh well," Kim sighed, "if Lauren or Jessica can't get hold of him, then there's very little chance he'll pay any attention to any of us."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't see why you're so bothered about that," I said.

"Says the girl who hasn't even seen the Greek god of a boy yet," Kim snorted. We had arrived at what we tended to call our table, and sat down.

"Come on. You know Bella isn't like that anyways," Emily said, before adding, "which is why your previous statement might end up being untrue."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, but it was Angela who answered.

"Just that he might end up curious as to why one girl doesn't even show any attention to him. We all know that, even if he did act like it, he did seemed to know that we were all interested in him, even though we didn't throw ourselves at him. But Bella…well, she probably wouldn't give him the time of day, and you know how boys are like," she finished. "She'll seem like the untouchable one, so he'll want her."

She didn't bother adding that her words were based off of the fact that, since Mike, I hadn't seemed interested in any of the other guys in school, who seemed to take it as a challenge to _get_ me.

"Exactly" Emily said. "She'll most likely draw him to her without her notice, and thus give us a chance at cracking his icy exterior."

Kim was listening, I knew that, but I could also see the other question in her eyes. Not liking where she was heading – I knew that one of them would most likely ask me, as they always did, why that was. I wasn't up to avoiding the question, as I couldn't tell them the real reason, and I had never thought of a good reason for my iciness to males.

"What are they're names again?" I asked, actually curious to know. I wanted their names so I would know who they were if I saw them in class.

"From eldest to youngest, it's Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and Edward," Angela said. I froze at the last name. I didn't know why, but, when she said it, I felt fear course through me. But I didn't just feel fear, I also felt familiarity. I shook my head. _It could be any Edward_ I tried to tell myself, but I just couldn't shake away the strange feeling.

"Oh my God!" Kim said, suddenly excited. "There they are!"

I looked up in the same direction Kim was looking, and felt every inch of my freeze into place. I was unable to keep a hold of my apple as it slipped from my fingers unnoticed. My eyes were still fixed on the bronze-haired man I would recognize anywhere; whether in a dream or in the light of day, I could never mistaken that face. The apple rolled across the floor, as if drawn like a magnet, until it eventually hit the side of a black shoe.

The owner of said shoe looked down at the apple before allowing his golden eyes to slowly follow it's previous path. They met with my face, still frozen with a look of pure fear painted on it. I was sure my heart stopped beating. His lips pulled up in an evil grin when he saw me, his eyes visibly darkening as he looked at me. I could never forget that hungry, lust-filled gaze, nor could I forget the one who owned that gaze.

I could never forget those eyes that were looking back into mine because they belonged to none other than the man who had visited me every night since I was eight years old. They belonged to a man who had once been my one true friend, a man who I now feared and hated with every fiber of my being.

They belonged to the one man who I had been so sure would never be able to haunt me while I was awake, who would never be able to enter my reality.

They belonged to Edward.

* * *

**Nightmare into Reality; Edward's First Meeting**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

_This isn't real! This just can't be real!_ But, as I continued to look upon Edward's face – still smirking and eyes still black as he looked back at me – I knew that it was real. My worse fear had become reality. He was really here, Edward was really here. This wasn't a dream, this was real life. We were not in the meadow, we were in my school cafeteria…Oh god, he was one of the new students! And it was probably the one who Angela and Kim had been talking about, the one who was ignoring all of he other girls in school.

Vaguely, I realized that Emily was going to be right about him being drawn to me, though for different reasons that she believed.

I started hyperventilating, my chest quickly falling up and down with my ragged breathing. I felt dizzy, my hands beginning to shake uncontrollably, by palms beginning to sweat. My face much have turned chalky white; I could feel all the blood being drained from it.

Edward began walking over to one of the tables, the one that I suspected to house the rest of the Cullens, though I wasn't sure. His eyes still held mine in an unbreakable hold, making it impossible to look away. I wished so desperately to look away, to end this nightmare at this moment, to not be able to see his face for a while and pretend that it wasn't real, but I couldn't.

He slowly sat down, still looking at me. He could probably hear my now rapid heartbeat, even though he was on the other end of the room; another think I had learned about vampires was that they had way better hearing that a human did.

"Bella? Bella?" Angela's voice sounded distant. I slowly managed to break my gaze from Edward's to look back at the faces of my concerned friends. I could practically hear his growl of fury over the fact that I had dared to turn away from him; I could still feel his gaze burning a hole in my back.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Emily asked, concern evident on he tone. "You've gone white."

I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. All I could think about were the eyes that were still on me. I suddenly felt sick.

"I have to go," I said. I hastily stood from my seat, nearly running to the girl's bathroom as my stomach turned. I could feel the curious eyes of the other students on me, but, more importantly, I could feel the gazes of five particular pairs of eyes on me. I pushed passed several other students on my way to the bathroom, ignoring the angry calls that they gave me.

As soon as I entered the bathroom, I practically leapt into the nearest cubicle, keeling down before the toilet just in time, for my stomach expelled its contents.

* * *

_Edward's Point of View_

* * *

I watched as my Bella left the cafeteria and run to the girl's bathroom, where I could hear the sounds of her vomiting. Though I would never admit it, it hurt to know that her reaction to seeing me turned out to be that way. Of course, I had already known that her reaction wouldn't be positive; after all, I did know how much she hated me, only tolerating me out of fear. That hurt me deeply as well. I loved her so much, had loved her since the moment she was born, literally.

_Bella has no idea of how long I had loved her_ I thought, remembering the first time I actually met her.

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

_Tanya, leave me alone!" I yelled, annoyed, as I shoved her away from me. She still tried to cling onto me, but I had hit her with enough force that she hit the wall on the other side of the room, smashing through the concrete. God, I hated her! When would she understand that she was not my mate? We had not mated – thank the lord for that – and she wasn't even attracted to me. However, she was also desperate to prove that she wasn't a lesbian. Who did she think she was kidding?_

"_Please, Eddie," she whined. I growled at the nickname. "We have to be mates. I can't be a lesbian!"_

"_Tanya," I sighed, exasperated with her denial. "I know you're thoughts. Jasper can feel your emotions when you notice an attractive woman. Face it!"_

"_But…but-" she stammered, trying to find a reason why she couldn't possibly be a lesbian in her head; if course, she found none._

"_Urgh," she growled before storming away. I rolled my eyes at her amusing anger. I only hoped that she would face the truth, and be happy with it soon; it was annoying to have to listen to her denials in her thoughts. Luckily, she wasn't attracted to Alice, Rose, or any of the other women in her coven, still only thinking of them as family and friends, but she was obviously attracted to some women – human or vampire – that occasionally passed her way. I pitied the woman Tanya chose to be her mate though, despite how much I hoped she would find one._

_It was just as I hoped that I would eventually find my own mate. I was tired of being the only vampire in my coven who wasn't mated yet. I was tired of watching my siblings and their mates together, envying the love that they were able to share. I was just tired of being alone. I wanted my mate; no, I **needed** my mate. I needed that woman who I would always love, and who would always love me. I needed that woman who would always be there for me to hold. I needed that woman who was fated to spend the rest of eternity with me, at my side._

_I've spent one hundred and seventy-three years alone. I had never loved anyone before, not even when I was human. Hell, I hadn't even slept with anyone yet! Yes, I was still a virgin. I was waiting for my mate. My mate…would I ever find her? Did she even exist in this world? If she did, when would I find her? There were so many questions I had to ask about my mate, about my other half._

_I sat down, lazily, on the couch, trying to ignore Emmett and Rosalie's thoughts from the floor above._

"_Tanya's gone, I assume?" Alice said as she entered. I nodded._

"_She just left, thank god. I doubt I could take much more of her denial without twisting her neck."_

_Alice chuckled. None of us could really stand Tanya. After sitting there for awhile, I suddenly realized that Alice was signing some song in her head, one that she usually sung when she was hiding something from me in her thoughts. I hated it when she did that, as, most times, it was just to annoy me, but, somehow, this felt as if she was hiding important information that I just had to know._

"_Alice?" I questioned her. She just smirked, shaking her head to tell me that she would not inform me what it was that she was hiding from me._

_I groaned, my curiosity growing. I wanted to know what she knew, and, more importantly, why she was hiding it from me. She sat down on the seat opposite of me, picking up one of the magazines, and flicking through the pages, but her mind was far too excited and giddy for her concentrate. What had her so excited? She kept glancing at me every so often._

_**Should I just tell him? No! Don't Alice! It's so much better if it comes as a surprise.** This was followed by a giggle in her mind. **Maybe I could give him a little hint…**_

_I narrowed my eyes at her thought, growing more suspicious by the minute._

"_I've got an idea," Alice suddenly chirped. _

"_What would that be, Alice?" I asked._

"_Why don't you go and see Carlisle at the hospital?" she suggested eagerly, too eagerly, if I was asked._

"_Why?" I asked suspiciously._

"_What the harm in going up to say hi?" she asked innocently. I narrowed my eyes at her again before shrugging my shoulders and getting up to go to the hospital. The hospital wasn't that far away, and, with the speed I drove, I got there under five minutes._

_As soon as I got out of the car, I felt a strange, sort of magnetic pull at my dead heart that slowly increased in it's strength until it edged onto painful desperation. But desperate for what? I stood next to my car for a long moment, basking in the feeling of contentment that suddenly appeared underneath my pain. Warily, I breathed in the scents around me, and was left stunned as a pleasant aroma filled my nostrils._

_It was smelled so sweet…but not in the way that would make me thirsty, strangely enough. It was just…nice. Like a sweet-smelling perfume that I couldn't get enough of, like freesias or perhaps strawberries. And then, not only could I smell it, whatever _it_ may be, but I could hear it. I could suddenly hear a little tiny heartbeat, a heart which just so happened to be beating it's first beats. A heart, a life, that just so happened to be inside this hospital._

_I was so strongly drawn to this scent, to this tiny heartbeat, to this young life, in such a way that I had never felt before. All I knew was that I wasn't nearly as close to it as I would like to be, and that I had to get closer to it. So that's what I did. I walked, trance-like, into the hospital, through the corridors and all the doors, which seemed more like barriers to me, barriers blocking me from the one thing…the one place I needed to be._

_All thoughts of Carlisle, the other workers here, the other injured patients, and their blood were driven from my mind, ceasing to exist. All that mattered at the moment was this force that was driving me on and on, closer and closer; to what, I did not know. I didn't even smell all of the exposed blood around me – it didn't even tempt me in the least. I didn't notice the thoughts of the women who looked at me, didn't care enough for it to annoy me. I just kept walking, looking straight ahead, breathing deeply through my nose so that I could smell that precious scent._

_To an outsider, I would have looked the picture of ease, just a normal man, apart from my strangely good looks, but a vampire, with their defined sight, would have seen differently. I would have looked like some sort of crazed madman to them. Humans couldn't see the desperation in my eyes, the tense position of my shoulders, or how my arms were only slightly stretched out in front of me. Indeed, I felt like a madman at that moment._

_I felt so close to it now, so close…I was actually on the same floor now. I could sense its presence was close, every inch of my body humming with awareness as I walked closer, closer, closer, closer…and here it was._

_Finally, I stopped outside of one particular door. Luckily, the door was one of those with a square window looking into the room behind it, so I could see what was going on, and, more importantly, what was in there. The scene was obvious: a mother had just given birth to a child – anyone could see that. But my eyes were not focused on the scene; not on the woman who had given birth, not on the lucky father, not on the little boy who now had a little sister, but on the little bundle in the woman's arms._

_A little baby girl, with large chocolate brown eyes, little brown curls on her head, a little button nose, and a little plump, pink mouth. She was beautiful. The moment I looked at that little face, the moment I saw those eyes, nothing would ever be the same for me again. There would be no going back, not that I wanted to. At the moment, all I wanted to do was enter the room and take the little baby up in my arms and never let her go. I didn't though; I knew that if I did, then I would never let go._

_She was mine; she was _mine_. This little baby – I knew it then, as it was the most certain and positive thing I had ever known – was my mate._

_This was the one I would love, hold, cherish, and adore for the rest of my endless existence. This was the one who would be by my side forever. The time was not right now – she had only just entered into life – but, when she was older, then she would know the truth. She would know that she was my mate, she would know that I lived her, she would know about Vampires, but, most importantly, she would know that she belonged to me, me alone, and that we would always be together._

_I was willing to wait, for now. But my patience would only last so long…_

* * *

**End Flashback**

* * *

That was how it had started. Of course, I would have found my Bella eventually, even if I had not been there the moment she was born in Fork's Hospital, because out fates were tied together. It would have been inevitable that we would have found each other in the end. She would never escape me, just as I would never escape her. I didn't want to escape her, though. I wanted the opposite; I wanted and would spend every minute with her, if it were possible.

And that would soon be happening. Soon, I would spend every waking minute with my Bella, not just her sleeping moments. Soon, she would be just as eager to spend time with me as I was to be with her. Because, soon, she would find that she could not deny me, whether she liked it or not. We had to be together, that was the whole point of mating. Both participants would love each other, whether one was a human and the other a vampire, they would both love each other.

Even if it took time, Bella would want me. However, before that would happen, my Bella would have to understand that even if she did not love me now, that did not mean I would leave her alone.

* * *

**Unavoidable Attention**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I stood in front of the bathroom mirrors, leaning against the sinks, just staring at my sweaty, pale reflection. I was still in shock, barely able to move a muscle in my face. I doubted I even had enough courage to blink my eyes. The only movement occurring on my face were the tears running down my cheeks. Despite the lack of movement, my heart was still pounding against the restraints of my chest, and my breathing was coming in and out through my open mouth.

Edward was here. I shuddered – the first movement my body had made during the past ten minutes, apart from the heavy and quick rise and fall of my chest – as I remembered that he was actually here, in the cafeteria, with the chance of running into him in the hallway very high. I considered staying in the confines of the girl's bathroom until school ended, but that would be impossible, as quite a few people had seen me enter it, and would know that I was still here.

I took a deep breath, finally moving from my position to wipe away my tears. I looked to the door on my left, the door to the cafeteria…it was now or never. I tried to relax my tense shoulders, to look at ease and pretend nothing was wrong. I just hoped that no one would notice the slight shaking of my hand, which was now reaching for the handle, and ready to pull.

With a loud sigh, I exited the bathroom. I had just taken two steps in the direction of my friends when two cold arms wrapped around my waist, making me stop in my tracks. Like his face, I would know the feel of those arms anywhere…I didn't have to look behind me to know that it was Edward who was now holding me.

"Hello, my lamb," he purred in my ear. I shivered. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

All eyes were on us. Some were shocked, others jealous, but all looked curious, save for four who looked…pleased? Why on earth were they happy about this? Then, I noticed that those four stares belonged to the other Cullen's, which explained it.

I turned my head to look at Edward's face. He was smirking like before, his eyes – as they most often were when I saw him – were black with lust. I shuddered as I saw the desire in those eyes, stronger than I had ever seen before. But, even worse, I could feel his hard erection against my back. I realized that my shudder was obviously a bad thing, as it caused him to moan quietly in my ear. I tried to ignore the urge to vomit once again. I knew he wouldn't like it much if I did, and didn't want to face the consequences. I doubted they had changed just because he was here in reality instead of my dreams.

"W-what are you doing h-here?" I asked, my voice low so no one else could hear it.

"Don't you like your present, love?" he asked, faking a hurt expression.

"H-how…how d-did you..?" I stammered, clearly questioning how he was here.

"Do you still underestimate me, Bella?" he suddenly growled, and I trembled in fear. "Did you really thin I was going to spend the rest of eternity visiting you in your dreams? Or did you think that I didn't actually exist? Have you been listening to nothing that I've told you? We. Belong. Together."

He turned my body around so that I faced him fully, placing his hands firmly on either side of my head, making me unable to turn away as he brought his face closer. He paused right before his lips touched mine, warning me, before he kissed me fiercely. I didn't want to respond, but what choice did I have? His warning was for me to act like I wanted this, to be responsive, unless I wanted something to happen to Angela, which was basically saying he had power over me. He knew I wouldn't be stupid enough to disobey him unless I was willing to carry around the guilt of someone being hurt.

I parted my lips to allow his tongue to enter my mouth. Save for that movement, I had no plans of responding until I felt a foreign wave of lust and desire enter me. My hands came up to tangle into his bronze hair, pulling him closer as I battled him for dominance with my tongue. And, while this was happening, my mind was screaming at me to get away, trying to fight this foreign invasion. I knew that it wasn't real; I did _not_ was Edward like that, but some outside force was filling me with desire.

It took me a few seconds to guess that one of the other Cullen members were responsible for this. I knew that it wasn't Edward himself making me feel like this. He had unintentionally let it slip that some vampires had other gifts, though he never told me if he did or not, but I knew that, if he did, he would of done this to me before, making me more willing to be with him.

I could hear whistles and claps from some idiots watching us, but what made me uncomfortable was the fact that I could feel everyone's eyes on us, watching us with shock. I wished I could pull myself from him, show that I didn't want this, but that foreign influence was practically unbreakable.

"Miss Swan! Mr. Cullen! Stop this public display of affection at once!" I heard the principle yell at us. I attempted to pull my face away from Edward as the foreign influence momentarily went away, but I didn't get far because he hadn't removed his hands from my face. He stared in my eyes.

"Never pull away from me, Bella," he snarled, though I knew I was the only one who heard him, for he still managed to keep his voice quiet. He attached our lips again, continuing our kiss with even more passion than before. I could still hear Mr. Greene's voice, still demanding for us to pull away, my thoughts yelling right along with him, But Edward still didn't pull away, and I felt as if I was made of stone.

The way he was kissing me scared me a bit. It was like he was kissing me for the first time or something, like he had never done so before. I could feel him everywhere: his arms around me, holding me so tight that I had trouble breathing; his taste, a strangely sweet taste, in my mouth.

Finally, after I was sure I would pass out from the lack of air, he pulled away, staring into my face, grinning. Oh god, how I hated him!

"Detention, Miss Swan, Mr. Cullen. Today, after school!" Mr. Greene shouted, his face tomato red with anger as he walked away.

I was about to walk away from Edward, going to sit with my friends, but he only pulled me back to him by my waist, and held me to his side possessively. I knew that there was probably no getting away from him now that he already caught me, so I didn't bother fighting back against him now. It would only cause me trouble later if I defied him anyways. I hoped lunch would be over soon so that I could go to class, and get away from him.

"This way, love," he said, turning me in the direction of the table where the rest of his family sat. I was suddenly frightened as I saw his siblings sitting there. Not only were they most likely all vampires, but it occurred to me that one of them was probably responsible for the influence of lust and desire that had entered my body earlier. I also had question other than which one had done that.

Did they know that I knew they were vampires? Did they know what Edward had done to me all these years? Were they against him forcing me to be with him? Of course, from the pleased looks on their faces, I already knew the answer to my last question. The overjoyed looks on their faces that I was with him gave it to me.

When we were just a couple of steps away, I noticed that there was only one chair left, which Edward sat in. He sat there, looking at me as if waiting for me to do something. I assumed that he was waiting for me to get another spare chair to sit on, but, when I went to get one, he grabbed me by my hips, and pulled me down to sit on his lap. To say I was uncomfortable would be the biggest understatement of the century. I was made even more uncomfortable due to the fact that Edward's family were still watching us.

All four of them had the same pale skin and golden eyes that Edward had, but I had been expecting that. I studied the way they were different. The first guy that my eyes landed on had a buzz-cut hair do and large muscles, almost like a body builder. Next, going down the line, I saw a female who had long, wavy blond hair and was extremely beautiful, the type of beautiful that guys would imagine while jacking off to, while girls would take hits at their self-esteem if next to her. After her was another guy, who had curly, honey-blond hair and was also muscular, but not at the same point as the other one. The final female was small, smaller than the average girl, with short black hair the pointed in every direction.

"Bella, let me introduce you," Edward began. "This is Emmett," he gestured to the big guy, who smiled hugely at me in greeting. "This is his mate, Rosalie," another gesture, this time to the beautiful blond, who gave a kind smile to me. "This is Jasper," he didn't gesture this time, my eyes already on Jasper. I was given another kind smile in greeting. "And this is Jasper's mate, Alice."

I turned my gaze to the small girl, who seemed to be the most excited out of the four.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Bella," Alice chirped. I found it impossible to act cold towards her, giving her a small smile.

"Hi," I murmured, knowing that they could hear me.

"Good to see you, Bella," Emmett said.

"You know, Edward has told us so much about you that I feel as if we've already met," Rosalie laughed. Edward growled quietly at her, obviously so that the other students would not hear.

Well, I guessed that answered my question on whether they knew about his visiting me in dreams. I'd was hoping that they would be on my side, and would help me get away from Edward, but now I saw that they were obviously fine with what he'd been doing, so that option was out of the question. How would I ever get away from him when he had four other vampires willing to help him keep me?

The Cullens actually seemed friendly enough, but I wasn't really up to talking to them. It didn't seem to bother them; they continued to talk amongst themselves while I say uncomfortably on Edward's lap. I couldn't help tensing up whenever he would plant a kiss on my neck or behind my ear, or when he nuzzled his face into my hair lovingly. I was grateful that he didn't say anything, just remaining content with touching me. It wasn't like I wasn't scared stiff anyways.

"Shouldn't we be going to class?" I asked. The bell was about to ring any minute, and I didn't want to be late for Mr. Banner's class. I already had detention after all. Plus, I really wanted to get away from Edward as soon as I was able to.

"We go to class when I say," Edward said calmly, but I could hear his controlling tone underneath the calm. I remained quiet, and tried to sit still while I waited for Edward to say it was okay to go to class, but a minute hadn't even passed when he finally stood up and pulled me up with him. I hated that he did that just to prove that he was in control.

We walked through the halls with Edward's arms wrapped possessively around my waist. He was clearly claiming me as his territory for any guy who was watching us. Which was pretty much every guy in school, as nearly all eyes were on us as we walked to he biology classroom. I was surprised when he didn't stop at the door, but walked in with me. Oh no, please don't say he has this class as well? But, when I saw his smug expression at my horrified face, I knew that he obviously was. Could this day get any worse?

I immediately went to sit at my usual seat, hoping that Mr. Banner would tell Edward to sit somewhere else other than the open seat beside me. I watched as Edward went up to Mr. Banner's desk to hand in his slip.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Cullen, you can go sit in the seat next to Lauren Mallory," he said. I breathed a sigh of relief, and noticed, at the corner of my eye, that Lauren was more than excited to meet her new seatmate, fixing her hair and pulling her top down a bit to show more cleavage. _Girl, you are more than welcome to have him_ my thoughts yelled. My joy didn't last.

"I'm afraid that won't do, Mr. Banner," Edward said smoothly. Mr. Banner looked up, surprised.

"I'm sorry?" Mr. Banner questioned.

"It would be much more convenient if I were to sit by Bella Swan," Edward said, his tone the same. All eyes flashed to my face.

"Look, you'll sit where I –" Mr. Banner suddenly cut off mid-sentence. I looked at his face to see that his expression was one of fear, his body visibly shaking with it as well, as he looked back at Edward's face. I had a feeling that I knew what Edward's expression was, as it was most likely one that I was familiar with.

"Y-y-yes, of course," Mr. Banner stuttered. "Go ahead, and sit by Miss Swan."

Edward smirked smugly, as he walked to my – now _our_ – table, looking at my face as always. My heart was beating erratically with fear as he sat down in the chair next to me. He scooted his chair until it was so close to mine that our hips were touching. I saw Lauren glaring at me, clearly jealous that Edward was eager to sit by me instead of her.

I tried hard to concentrate on the lesson, trying to ignore the cold hand that rested on my thigh.

* * *

**Surprise Guests**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I ran as fast as I could to get out of the school grounds, praying under my breath that Jake hadn't forgotten, and would be there when I got to the parking lot. Detention had been brutal. The whole time, Edward did not remove his eyes away from me; I could practically feel them burning holes into my back. Luckily, the teacher had been in the room the whole time, so he had been unable to do anything to me, but it was still terrible just knowing that he had been there.

I almost cried with relief as I saw that Jake's car was there, Jake sitting inside waiting for me. I ran over to the car, not looking back, fearing that Edward would be just behind me. I didn't hesitate to open the passenger door, almost breaking it off from my desperation to get inside, and away from the school building. I knew Jake was saying something to me, but I just couldn't hear him, my thoughts still shocked at the events that had taken place today; I just didn't care enough to listen at the moment.

"Bells? You okay?" I finally heard Jake's voice, as it broke through my thoughts. I turned towards him, wanted to tell him about everything: about Edward, about my dreams, about everything he had done to me. I knew I couldn't though. I didn't want to put my big brother in any danger, especially when it involved Edward. His expression was starting to become concerned when I didn't say anything.

"Yeah." My voice sounded like I was being strangled. "I'm good. Just had a bit of trouble with that bitch Lauren again."

"When are you girls going to start getting along?" he asked, exasperated..

"You really don't understand girls at all, do you?" I asked teasingly, beginning to feel a bit better.

"Guess not," he said, defeated. "I'll never understand these rivalry things that girls have."

"It's not rivalry, I just don't like the slut."

"Come on, she can't be that bed."

Trust me, she is."

"Oh yeah, what did she do?"

"She practically fucked every guy in the school. She acts like she's the queen of the world, and she's got a real bitchy attitude to boot."

"Every guy in school, eh?" He looked thoughtful now, and I had a feeling that he hadn't heard anything else I said.

"She's probably bedded a lot more than just school boys too. I bet she's probably fucked some of your friends."

He looked guilty then, and my expression became horrified.

"Please, please don't tell me you slept with Lauren?"

He grimaced, then nodded guiltily.

"I can't believe you would do it with _her_! I mean, besides how much I hate her, who knows what diseases she has!"

"Look, in my defense, I was extremely drunk."

"Drunk? You must have been seriously wasted to sleep with her."

He nodded, guilty as charged. I shook my head before turning towards him again.

"You won't do it again, right?" I asked.

"No, don't worry. She's terribly in the bed department anyways." I had to laugh at that, wondering what Lauren would think if she heard that. She always acted like every man loved being in bed with her; it would be a huge shock to learn otherwise. Then again, it must have been a shock that Edward didn't want her, even without warning about how she was. My good mood disappeared at that reminder.

We were outside of the house now. I hurried inside, still wanting to get away from Edward, though he wasn't nearby, as far as I could tell. I was still afraid; I longed to be in the safe confines of my room again. Tears blurred my vision as I ran upstairs, ignoring my mother's concerned voice as she questioned me. I immediately fell down on my bed, allowing the tears to fall as I went over all that had happened today in my head.

There was still the smallest part of me that was still hoping that it had all been a dream, that it wasn't real, that Edward had not been there, that he was still locked away in my nightmares, unable to invade my real life as I had thought for so long. It was a vain hope. I knew it was real; there was nothing to prove to me, nothing to give me a sign that it had not happened. All the evidence was against me.

I began to shake again as the fear and dread consumed me. This had always been my worst fear, the one thing I had prayed would never happen. Now, it had. I can't even begin to describe how horrible that feeling was, knowing that the one thing you had always dreaded was now a reality; knowing that there was nothing you could do about it. The only think I could did now was try and keep away from Edward as much as I could, try to avoid his influence. I had to admit that there wasn't much of a chance of that happening though.

"Bella?" Renee's voice came from behind the door. "Are you alright?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yeah," I croaked.

Knowing she would probably ask to come in next, I wiped away my tears, hoping that my eyes weren't very noticeable, but a look in the mirror showed just how red and puffy my eyes were; they also told me that a 'mother and daughter' talking session was unavoidable. As expected, she walked in, and, at once, came over to pull me into a hug when she saw what state I was in.

"What's wrong, Hun?" she asked, concerned. "What's happened? It's your birthday; it's meant to be a happy day."

"Some birthday," I mumbled before I could stop myself.

"Why? What's happened?"

I sighed, trying to think of some explanation to give her.

"Just…just the girls at school."

"Are they being mean to you again?"

"No, its just…I mean…they're always mean to me, but…today, they said some really horrible things," I managed to say.

"What kind of things, sweetie?"

"Just names, you know. The usual kind of things."

"Do you want me to talk to the principal?"

"No, it's okay mom. Don't bother causing any more trouble than needed."

Well, if you're sure…."

"I am. I'll be fine, really."

She smiled at me, then, after another hug, she reminded me to get ready in an hour so we could go to the restaurant. The reminder of going to my favorite restaurant actually helped me forget about my troubled for a little bit. I found some glimmer of excitement as I grabbed the dress that I had been given for my birthday, throwing it on with only a pair of panties – the lack of sleeves made it impossible for me to wear a bra with it, as I didn't own any strapless bras. I wasn't in the mood to put make-up on, but I did put a little bit of clear lip-gloss on anyways so that my mom wouldn't bug me much.

I threw my hair up into a bun, sticking a pair of Japanese hair sticks – the pair that had royal blue chainette tassels and five peacock blue jingly metal bells that dangled from strands of round, sparkly, blue-tinted beads that I owned – to hold it up, twirling the front strands that I didn't pull back with the rest. I looked in the full-length mirror, looking at my reflection. I had to admit, the dress I wore looked good on me, outlining my curves nicely without over doing it.

I placed the necklace I had been given on as well, adding a pair of raven-shaped dangle earrings to finish the look. I also put on a pair black, strappy stilettos my mom had bought me a few weeks ago, having insisted that I wear them on my birthday. I would have been happier to wear flats, especially after I wobbled for a full minute on the thin heels. Once I had my balance, however, I grabbed the final item – the labyrinth shawl – and threw it on. I noticed that it almost covered all of the design on the dress when I took a final look in the mirror.

All in all, I was happy with the way I looked tonight. I just hoped that my mind wouldn't be so filled with the Edward situation throughout the night so that I didn't accidently ruin the night for my parents. There was no need for them to suffer along with me, after all, especially when they were having friends join us.

"You ready, Bells? We need to go soon," Charlie called from downstairs. Taking a deep breath, I slowly made my way out of my room and down the stairs, plastering the happiest smile I could muster up as my parents and Jake came into view. Renee took a few pictures before we headed towards the restaurant. On the way, I noticed how strange if felt being with my family now, after the day I had. It felt almost…_wrong_. Well, not wrong exactly, but just…just not _right_. Listening to their talking and laughing, it felt like a completely different world, like they shouldn't be doing that.

And they wouldn't be doing that if they knew what was really going on, if they could even begin to comprehend what was happening.

We arrived in Port Angeles about an hour later. Within ten more minutes, we were sliding into a parking space near La Bella Italia. I had only ever been here twice before: once, for Charlie's birthday a couple of years ago; the other with my friends for a special night out just some months before. I loved the food here, or maybe I just loved Italian food period. Either way, they did have the best cheese ravioli.

We already had a reservation here, so we were guided to our table right away. It wasn't exactly packed here, but people only came here if they could afford it, or for a special occasion like us because it was so expensive, so it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Where's Carlisle?" Renee asked Charlie.

"He said he'd be here," Charlie said, confused, obviously getting worried for what could have kept his friends. I wondered why the name Carlisle sounded familiar…

"Hello again, Charlie." I heard a soft, velvety voice coming towards us. "Sorry we're late."

I turned me head to see seven beautiful people coming towards our table, and I smiled politely at them, but my smile almost went away as soon as it came when I recognized five of them. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper…and Edward. The Cullens. My body immediately froze. I could feel a scream building up in my throat, but luckily, it got stuck in my throat before it could get out. That didn't mean I wasn't screaming on the inside, though.

I couldn't believe that they were here. I would have pinched myself to make sure I wasn't having a nightmare had every inch of my body not been frozen with fear. Charlie and Carlisle were speaking with each other as they all sat down at our table, but I couldn't hear the words they were speaking; my ears felt as it cotton had been shoved in them. I felt a presence sit down next to me, and I looked to see which of the Cullens were there; I should've known that it would be Edward, the one Cullen I feared the most.

I was aware of more conversations starting around me, but, like with Charlie and Carlisle, I couldn't hear a word of what was being said. Edward and I were the only ones not speaking. He just stared at me while I looked everywhere but him, and tried to ignore him; of course, that wasn't exactly possible. I just wanted to get up, and run far, far, far, far away from here, from the restaurant, for Port Angeles, but, more importantly, from the seven vampires around me.

I felt a cold hand suddenly encase my own underneath the table in an unbreakable hold. I was still trying to look everywhere except at the man – well, the vampire – next to me, but I could feel his gaze burning on my face. His cold thumb rubbed slow, almost sensual, circles over the back of my hand, and it was taking all of my control not to just leave the table. I began searching through my head to find and excuse to leave, at least for a few minutes, when I felt Edward's foot begin to slowly run up and down my lower calf. Unable to stop myself, I stood up from my seat. They all looked up at me confused, though the Cullens didn't look so shocked.

"Anything wrong, Bells?" Charlie asked me. I shook my head, still trying to come up with an excuse.

"I-I…I'm going to the restroom," I said quickly, right before I rushed away from the table. It was such a relief to be about to get away from them, Away from Edward. On my way to the restroom, a middle-aged woman was just coming out as I was going in, looking at me puzzled because of the emotional state I was in.

I was grateful to find that the restroom was empty when I got there, so I didn't have to pretend to be okay anymore, and just let myself break down. I didn't cry any tears, just shuddered violently as I gripped the counter, gasping for breath over and over. I looked at my reflection, which looked almost like it did back at school, save the moisture that had covered it before. My face, drained of color; my eyes, frightened and scared; my lips trembling. I looked away, looking at my hands instead before closing my eyes.

_Please, just let me wake up now. Please, just wake up, please!_ I prayed repeatedly in my head, knowing it was still pointless to hope that this wasn't real, but desperately wishing that it wasn't.

* * *

_Edward's Point of View_

* * *

_So, my Bella is trying to get away from me again_ I thought. Well, that simply wouldn't do. Maybe it was time to show her who she belonged to again. A smirk spread across my face as I politely excused myself from the table, heading in the same direction that my angel had disappeared in not even a minute ago.

I listened for a minute, hearing nothing inside but Bella's beating heart, and opened the door, closing and locking it behind me. It wouldn't do for someone to walk in while I was trying to discipline my girl.

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

I suddenly felt a presence with me in the restroom. A strange sense of dread coursed through me as my thoughts flashed to who it could possibly be. Then again, maybe it would have been better not to know, which was why I didn't look up into the mirror.

"Bella," he purred. I bit my lip as I recognized Edward's voice.

"Bella." His voice was suddenly by my ear now. I jumped back, immediately feeling the sudden contact between my back and his rock hard chest. My eyes connected with his in the mirror.

"You know I don't like it when you run away from me, Bella," he said, his voice stern now. "Why would you do that?"

That was when I felt something inside of me just snap. I had had enough of this! I was sick and tired of him controlling my life, walking around like he owned me. I didn't want to have to live my life in fear anymore; didn't want to live while being afraid of him. He had no_ right_ to tell me what to do and how to live.

I wasn't going to be all submissive anymore!

* * *

**Want and Giving Information**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

"Because I wanted to get away from you," I hissed, glaring at his reflection. He growled in my ear, a sign that he was not happy with my response. Well, to fucking bad!

"I couldn't stand being the same fucking room with you for another minute, _Edward_." I spat his name like it was a filthy word.

"Bella," he said warningly.

"What?" I snapped. "Stop think that you have some kind of control over me!"

Before I knew it, my back was against one of the walls, Edward's arms on either side of me so that I was trapped. Edward's fierce golden eyes glared down at me. I glared right back; I could see that he was surprised at my audacity, as I usually would back down whenever there was a chance of him getting angry.

"I think you've forgotten who you're talking to here, Isabella," he growled.

"No, I don't think I have," I said curtly.

He snarled. "I am YOUR MATE! You will treat me with respect, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"I didn't answer, just glared some more at him. I'd waited a whole year to tell him this, and, now that I'd started, I was enjoying it hell. It felt so good to let out all of my emotions after letting him do whatever he wanted after all this time, and finally sound out my true opinion.

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" he roared again, shaking me with his anger. I continued to say nothing.

"You know I'm not a patient man –"

"Vampire, actually," I cut him off casually. He growled.

"I'm going to give you one chance to reconsider your attitude before you continue," He bit out, his teeth clenching in his anger.

"You're insane," I said.

"Oh, am I?" He raised his eyebrows.

"You're just some arrogant, cocky, controlling, pathetic prink who _thinks_ he has some right over me," I hissed.

"I have every right over you, Isabella!" he growled.

"No, you don't. Not even if hell froze over. You still wouldn't have any right over me. You never will have any right over me," I said simply.

Suddenly, I was no longer against the wall, but seated on the counter, between two of the sinks, my legs spread apart. I looked up to see Edward standing between them, looking down at me with pitch-black eyes. Oh no. He had either gone really thirsty within the last five seconds or…his emotions had taken a turn to something much, much worse.

I tried desperately to push him away, with no success, as he was so much stronger than me. _Damn vampire strength!_ He bend his head lower so that his lips were level with my ear.

"How many times do I have to prove that you belong to ME and only ME?" he growled in my ear.

"You could do it a million times, and I still wouldn't be yours," I hissed. He growled furiously before grabbing my face in between his two hard hands, and pulling my face closer to his.

"You are mine, Bella! He roared in my face. "Get that through your head!"

"NO!" I shouted back. Then something happened that I didn't expect; all of the sudden, his lips were on mine with a bruising force. I desperately tried to push him away from me again, but, just like last time, it was impossible. His lips moved aggressively against my unmoving ones. I was running out of air when he finally pulled back. I was blinded by my shawl as he pulled it off, right before his lips latched onto my neck, where he began sucking on the sensitive spot near my pulse point.

I tried to ignore how good it felt, but it was like a direct link to my clit. Edward knew how much just the one spot was suck a turn on for me. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips as he sucked with more force, therefore arousing me further. I willed myself not to get wet by his actions, but I had a feeling that it was pointless. I was going to have one great big hickey when he was done doing that. It would be just like him to mark me, to brand me. A sign that I belonged to him. But I didn't belong to him!

"Stop." I tried not to it sound like a pleasured moan. I felt him smirk against my skin; he knew I was reaction to his touch the way he wanted me to. I could feel my panties getting damp. I felt sick, knowing that my body was being so responsive to Edward. But, all too quickly, my damp sex was beginning to ache for some kind of friction so that I could find some release.

His face moved away from my neck, but he didn't stop his attack, as he pushed the front of my dress down, releasing my breasts. My nipples immediately stood at attention, and he palmed one breast, twisting the nipple. I unthinkingly pushed my chest forward, my hands holding me up from leaning against the mirror as I did so. He leaned forward, his mouth returned to suck at my neck for a little while longer. He worked his way up to my ear, lightly biting the lobe.

"I don't really think you want me to, little Bella," he purred. "I think you want more, don't you?"

The fingers of his other hand had begun tracing along my upper thigh, pushing the dress up even more, getting loser to where I was beginning to need him the most. His hands dipped under the skirt, inching towards my panties. My hips involuntarily jerked forward, trying to get his hand closer to my throbbing sex. I groaned in frustration when he pulled his hand further away.

"What do you want, my sweet?" Edward purred in my ear. "What do you want me to do to you?"

His fingers drifted up again, beginning to stroke against the material that covered my pussy. The friction felt unbearable; I was panting hard, a sheen of sweat covering my forehead as he continued to rub the wet patch that was now visible on the outside of my panties. I moaned, helpless to the pleasure. I couldn't help myself from wanting, no, needing more. He resumed his sucking on that magical spot near my pulse point once again, increasing my lust-crazed state.

"Please," I whimpered.

"Please what, Bella?" Edward purred. "Do you want more? Do you want me to rub on your clit? Do you want my fingers deep inside your wet pussy? Is that what you want? Hmm?"

"Yes!" I gasped. I felt him smirk against my neck.

"That's all I need to hear, Bella."

His fingers dipped inside my panties, rubbing my clit in slow, sensual circles. I moaned loudly from the pleasure induced from my clit. Then, one of his cold fingers was inside my pussy, and I cried out in pleasure at the intrusion. His finger began to move in and out of me, not fast enough for my liking. I grinded myself onto his hand, silently begging for more. I could practically feel his smugness as he watched me become more desperate for the pleasure he was giving me. I hated him so much, but I couldn't help it. I wanted more.

He complied to my silent demand, increasing the speed of his finger as well as adding another. My body was shaking with pleasure as I neared my wonderful orgasm. I was so close…

"You're mine, Bella. Only mine. Understand?" he growled. I was too far gone to really care, but I did know that if I said no, he would stop. I was too close to my release to allow that.

"Yes," I said breathlessly. "I'm yours."

His mouth moved down to suck on my neglected breast while bringing his thumb into play, rubbing my clit in time with the movement of his fingers. The combined stimulations were all that I needed in order to cum. I did so, cumming hard with a scream of pleasure, his fingers continuing to move inside of me as I rode out my orgasm.

I stayed where I was for a while; panting after the effects of my earth-shattering orgasm I had just been given. I knew that Edward was watching me, probably with that damn smug look on his face. I hated giving him the satisfaction that I had enjoyed nearly every minute of the pleasure he had given me, as well as the fact that I had said that I belonged to him out loud. Even if he had cheated when he told me to say it, I still had said it, and I was ashamed of myself. Of course, deep down, I knew that I wasn't his, but I knew that, in his eyes, I was.

I felt his hand stroking my cheek as I was slowly brought back to reality, and my thoughts became clearer. I was surprised when I looked up at him to see a very tender and affectionate look in his eyes as he watched me. I had seen this look in his eyes very few times before, but mostly when I was still a child, whenever he would force my to lie down next to him in the meadow. I could never quite understand why he looked at me that way, when, other times, he looked at me with those lust-filled black eyes. It was strange to see him looking so…gentle. It was almost a loving look.

It made me feel like he might actually care about me. Did he? I could never know with Edward. He fixed my clothes, pulled up the top of my dress before placing the shawl back on me, before continuing his stroking of my cheek.

"Come on, love," he said at last. "We have to get back."

"How long were we gone?" I asked worried. What would Renee and Charlie think, or worse, Jake?

"Don't worry," Edward soothed, finding an excuse to rub my back. "My family has been keeping them occupied. They haven't really noticed the time, nor will they notice you coming back with me either. Though, I don't have any objections if they did."

He smirked as he said the last part. Of course, he would like everyone to know what we've been doing in here. I didn't bother to hide my angry glare at him, but his smirk only became more pronounced. He lifted me down from the sinks, but once my feet were back on the floor, when I expected him to remove his arms from my waist he didn't. Instead, he brought me closer and captured my lips with his own. Like all of our other kisses, I remained still and unresponsive as his lips devoured mine.

"As always, he got tired of my lack of response, and, like in the cafeteria, I felt a foreign wave of lust and want hit me. I responded immediately, unable to resist the emotions someone was forcefully filling me with. He purred in satisfaction. He had to pull away when I needed to breathe, but his lips remained on my skin as he kissed his way down my neck. While I distracted myself from what he was doing, I wondered why no one had come into the restroom while we had been in here.

I got my answer when Edward finally led us out. He had locked the door without my knowledge. It was something that should have been obvious when I thought about it. As we walked out, I thought I saw a flash of honey-blond hair heading away from us. I thought it looked to be Jasper, but couldn't figure out a reason why he would be there, unless…

I shook the thought from my head as we headed towards the table. Charlie, Renee, Jake, and the Cullens were all still there, just as we had left them, completely oblivious to what had happened between Edward and me in the restrooms. Well, thinking about it, the Cullens probably knew. That was kind of embarrassing to think about. Luckily, somehow the Cullens knew not to talk to me, probably knowing that I wasn't exactly in the talking mood after what had passed just a few minutes ago. Unfortunately, my family didn't, so they continued to involve me in their conversations. I had to sit there, trying to smile and pretend nothing was going on.

The rest of the entire night was torture. I didn't even care that I was eating at my favorite restaurant, or the fact that I was eating my favorite dish from there. I hated every minute that we were there. Edward barely left me alone for a moment; his cold hand encased mine under the table before, sometimes stroking the skin on my thigh. He stared at me the whole time; he didn't move is attention away from my face, apart from when he had to reluctantly look away when someone spoke to him.

I felt like leaping for joy when Charlie finally announced that we had to leave. I couldn't get up from my seat fast enough.

"Well, it's been nice seeing you again after all these years, Charlie," Carlisle said, before we went to our separate cars.

"We'll have to do this again sometime," Esme said.

"Of course we will. Are you staying in Forks long?" Renee asked. _Please say no, please say no…_

"I think we'll be staying for a while," Edward said, smirking at my discomfort.

"Actually, we were hoping we could come round the day after tomorrow, if that's alright with you. There's something important we would like to discuss with you both," Carlisle said. I notice the Cullens momentarily look over in my direction.

"Sure, that's no problem," Charlie said cheerfully.

"Good. We'll look forward to see you then," Carlisle said, seeming to be more than happy. In fact, all of them seemed very, very happy.

"Happy birthday again, Bella," Alice said, smiling. I smiled back at her, unable to be angry with such a face. That didn't mean I couldn't be angry at her brother, though. With that, we both parted ways and went to our cars, but not before I noticed Jake and Edward glaring at each other. Thanks to the Cullens, Jake may not have noticed us coming out of the restroom together, but Jake was cleaver and protective enough to know that there was something going on between Edward and me. If only he knew the half of it.

"I'd forgotten how much you and Esme talked!" Charlie joked.

"So had I. It's been so long since we saw them," Renee sighed. "I hope they'll be able to stay longer than last time."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

"How did you and Carlisle meet, dad?" I asked curiously.

"He was our doctor when Renee was giving birth to you. We got talking while we were in the hospital. After you were born, we decided to keep in touch since we got along so well," Charlie replied. _When I was born..?_

"Had they already started to adopt when you knew him?" I asked.

"No. I think that, um…what's his name, um, Edward was the first one he adopted. Carlisle knew his father."

_His father?_

"Did you ever meet Edward's dad?"

"OH sure. You know, the resemblance between them is so striking. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was him back from the dead!" Charlie laughed.

"And, you know, Edward's father was so fond of you, Bella!" Renee gushed. I froze.

"How do you mean?" I asked, hoping that I didn't sound shaky.

"Well, he was always looking down at you in your cot, singing you to sleep, not wanting to put you down, or even let you out of his sight for a minute when he came round to visit us," she said. I became hopeful when she sounded curious. "Then again, we were all like that. You were so cute when you were a baby!"

I internally sighed. Of course Renee would think that. I doubted that the Cullens would allow themselves to appear to be the same. From the sounds of it, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme are the only ones that were seen at the time. While Carlisle and Esme could simply seem like they'll the type of couple that ages gracefully, Edward couldn't, which is why he suddenly became his own father. My parents wouldn't think of it as anything more than a striking resemblance between father and son. And they would think of Edward's obsession as anything more than another admirer of a tiny baby. But I knew differently.

The realization that Edward had been a part of my life even before I had began having the dreams hit me full force. This day sure was full of surprises. I just hoped that there weren't any more surprises from Edward to come before the day was out.

* * *

_Edward's Point of View_

* * *

Tonight was the night, the night I had waited sixteen years for. The night I would finally be able to claim _my_ Bella as mine. I had waited so, so long for this night. The monster in me had ordered me to do this long before now; it was a vampire's nature to want to claim their mates immediately, but, at the insistence of Carlisle and Alice, I had waited sixteen years. The monster had been so hard to keep at bay. Even though I knew that my mate was too young, the monster was impossible to reason with.

Of course, the monster in me cared about Bella's safety, and, as such, knew that I couldn't mate with her at once, but my desire was all over the place. It was rare that a vampire found their mate when they were so young, so it was only the monster's nature that it needed to mate the minute I set eyes on my beautiful little Bella. I couldn't count how many times I had masturbated while having fantasies that stared a older version of Isabella, but I needed my release, else there would be nothing to stop me from losing control. I had never used another woman, though, never even thought about it. I was completely faithful to my mate.

It was a continuous battle with the inner monster every single day. I had never experienced my animal instincts taking over so strongly before, so violent and aggressive. Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle were constantly holding me back from charging out the of the house and running to Isabella, the monster hungry, not just with its sexual desires, but also with the need to simply look at her and be in the same room with her. I was an animal, growling, raging, and gnashing my teeth at everyone.

But all of that changed when I saw Bella when I went round with Carlisle. She had been so small, so tiny, so…_breakable_. After that, the monster became less desperate; seeing just how delicate my mate was made it realize that it really was impossible. After that, I felt even more possessive and protective of her than I had been before. I went to the Swans' house whenever I got the opportunity so that I could see my little flower. My love got more beautiful every time I saw her.

Then, the day came that we had to leave Forks. I was devastated. I hadn't even been there to see my angel reach her first birthday, and I was already being forced to be separated from her. I suppose some small part of m had thought that this time with my little lamb would last forever. Of course, I knew that we really did need to leave; if I stayed and watched Bella grow up, then it would only get harder to resist her, but I was still heartbroken the entire time I spent away from her. I spent every waking moment thinking of her. I stayed locked in my room in complete silence. I never interacted with my family unless I really needed to.

After almost eight years, I was at the pointing of snapping and just going back to Forks so that I could be with my precious angel again. Then, I had come up with the perfect solution: visiting her in her dreams. The power of visiting humans in their dreams had been one of the first things I had discovered after becoming a vampire. I had only ever used it before on the victims whom I drank from before I became a vegetarian. It had been easier in not leaving any marks on my victims, plus, it seemed more like they had died in their sleep. Also, I didn't have to worry about disposing of any dead body.

Visiting her in her dreams had been the best decision I had ever made. I was now able to interact with _my_ Bella, even if it was only for a limited time. It was a challenge every night not to just take her and finally claim her as my mate, but I had to convince myself that this was the best, that it would be worth it in the end. And then, the day came when she mentioned that pathetic little bastard. _Mike Newton_. I growled as I thought of the name. How could Bella have preferred him over me?

I had enjoyed every second of killing him. When I first saw him, I wondered if I should kill him after all. He just looked so pathetic, he was hardly what you could call competition. But, whether I liked it or not, he was a rival, a rival of Bella's affections, so he had to be destroyed. Bella had to learn not to question my control.

So, I killed in the slowest and most brutal way I could. I had done everything I could to draw it out: breaking his bones, shallow cuts that would sting rather than bleed a lot, cutting off fingers and toes. Then, I had begun getting more violent: stabbing him in the abdomen, cutting him along the veins, and I finished with ripping him apart. Of course, I had done this in his dream, so nothing but the blood he had shed had been seen. I had brought him out to the woods before hand, so there was no evidence that he had ever been in bed. Plus, I thought that it would be funnier if they did find him outside.

After that, I finally dropped the act with my Bella, being with her how I really wanted. Of course, I hadn't mated properly with her yet – I was waiting for that – but that hadn't meant that I couldn't bring her pleasure. I loved watching her cum for me, watching her finally give up and accept the pleasure I was bringing her, listening to her moans mewls. Her body had already accepted that she belonged to me, even if she herself didn't acknowledge it yet. I knew that would soon change though. She didn't have a choice.

And now, the night had finally come for me to fully claim her as my mate. Tonight, the monster would be unleashed at last. Then, _my_ Bella would never question whether she belonged to me or not.

_I'm coming for you, my love_ I thought menacingly as I began to run to the Swans' house. _You can never escape me._

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

"Night, Bella!"

"Happy birthday!"

"See you in the morning!"

That's what Charlie, Renee, and Jake called towards me as I walked up the stairs. They were all so happy, and seemed so oblivious to the word right now. Me, on the other hand, well, I was dreading what was going to come next.

"Night, guys!" I called back. I knew that Edward wouldn't just simply leave me alone tonight. He had something planned; I just knew it. Would he just visit me in my dreams, like he always did? I shuddered at the other of another night in that meadow with him. However, the thought of him actually visiting me outside of my dreams tonight was far worse in my mind. I would take the dream visits over an actual visit.

These questions swam around in my head as I dressed into a dark grey tank with matching shorts. I got into my bed, hoping that Edward didn't have anything planned tonight. I heard Renee and Charlie go to their bedroom a few minutes later, Jake following soon after. I tried in vain to sleep, but, when I looked at my digital alarm clock, it was past midnight. There was this bad feeling I had that just wouldn't go away. I had a feeling that something, or _someone_, was getting closer. I desperately hoped that I was wrong; after all, there was only so much I could take within one day. Eventually, it would all be too much, and I would burst.

Then, there was a dreaded tap on the window. My head jerked up in the direction I heard the tap come from. I could see a shadow behind the pane. The shadows outline was of a man with messy hair. _Oh no_…it was him, it could be anyone else. I wanted to hide under my covers like a child, but I was frozen in place. The window began to rattle as he attempted to open it from the outside. I knew that he could do it easily; he was just taunting me.

Then, the cold blast of the wind blew through my room as the window immediately opened with a loud _thud._

* * *

**Would Have Been New Chapter**

* * *

_Bella's Point of View_

* * *

Edward entered my room slowly, his silhouette the only thing I could see well in the dark. I heard the window close silently, and then he stood there, staring at me. I couldn't actually see his stare in my dark room, but I could feel his eyes on me. I swallowed, forcing my hand to at least turn on the light. It was like my arm was filled with sand, taking all of my strength to force it to move.

Thankfully, I did mange to turn it on, filling my room with a dim light. I could see him more clearly now, but I wished I didn't. His desire-filled eyes stayed on me, though he didn't move at all. I swallowed, hard, pulling the blanket up some more. That prompted a reaction from him; he moved from where he stood by my window to stand next to my bed, where he furiously pulled the blankets down and away from me, as if making sure I couldn't cover myself from his gaze.

"W-what are you d-doing?" I asked, stuttering my words a bit. The sound of my voice, as hesitant as it sounded, was enough to jumpstart my brain out of it's frozen state, and I drew my legs up towards my chest, trying to shield myself from his piercing gaze. I could see that he wasn't happy with my decision to hide myself from him, and I cursed at the fact that I had put on shorts instead of the pants I usually put on, as they did nothing to hide the skin on my legs for him.

He said nothing, just continuing to stare at the bit of my body that was bared to his gaze. I let my hair fall onto my knees, shielding them. This seemed to snap him out of his daze, for he moved rather quickly, coming to sit by me and pushing my hair back before I knew he'd moved.

"Don't hide yourself from me," he snarled. His hand...

* * *

**_I have started rewriting this to be a bit darker, and have it posted up on my AO3 account.  
_**

**_Strange Hearts_**


	6. Old Story V

**_Story called Obedience. Took it down after writer's block hit hard enough that several years had gone by without updates. Redoing it at the moment.  
_**

* * *

**The Thoughts of Hermione Granger-Malfoy – To Begin a Story**

* * *

_Imagine this: you have an almost perfect life. You family is whole, your being treated right, and yet there is a black spot that covers everything. And then, that black spot grows, consuming everything is sight until your left with nothing but little pieces of what was, and broken dreams of what could have been._

_All of my problems started when my mother, Narcissa, remarried. No, my problems weren't with the man that she had married; Lucius Malfoy was nice and kind, despite his regal appearance and cold indifference. He loved my mother, and he was nice to me, spoiling and acting as if he was my real father rather than my step-father._

_In fact, he was better than my dead beat father, who had left my mother and I when I was six, leaving behind a whole bunch of debts while he went to the Caribbean with his whore of a secretary._

_At the time, my mother was trying to find him, planning on slapping him with a huge divorce. Of course, by the time we found him, it was just as he was dying from injuries from a car accident, which was several months after she had found out about his debts and whores. He died not long after our visit, though we later found out that he was dying anyways, the accident had just sped up what the STDs his whore had given him would do._

_Most of the debts he left had been paid by the insurance money that had been left for us as he had never actually divorced my mother – I think that it was so my mother would be left with the debts that he had instead of paying for them himself, as I had looked at the agreement my mother had made, and she had made sure that, in case of divorce, all his problems stayed his problems._

_The few debts that weren't paid off at that time were a few years later with my mother's marriage to Lucius._

_So, no, my problems weren't with him. No, they were with his son, Draco._

_Or, I should say, they started after my mother and Lucius died, about four years aflter their wedding, and Draco became my legal guardian._

_Before marrying my mother, Lucius had been married once before. I didn't know the reason why he had married her, for it was obvious he didn't love her as much as he loved my mother. However, that's beside the point. The point is, he had fathered a child with his first wife, a boy whom they had named Draco._

_Now, upon first meeting him, I never sensed that there was something wrong with him. He was just like his father, always nice and polite, never anything but the perfect gentleman, but…I don't remember what it was exactly, but I never seemed to be comfortable around him after the one week I spent in his company during our parents' honeymoon. There was something about him that just…_

_I wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was a bit older than me – I was ten when his father had married my mother, and he was eighteen, already an adult. All that I knew was I never felt comfortable around him._

_Of course, it wasn't until later that I realized why. And, by then, it was too late._

* * *

**The Wedding**

* * *

The day that her mother was to remarry arrived grey and dreary, though there were no rain, and the sun could been seen trying to shine through, determined to be seen. Hermione Granger and her mother were looking outside at this scenery as the limo drove them to the chapel.

The ten year old looked over at her mother. She knew that today was supposed to be a happy day, but she just couldn't muster up the right emotion. She was worried that something bad would happen, like the cake would arrive ruined, or they would get into an accident, or just something that would ruin the day for her mother.

Her mother, Narcissa Granger, chose, at that moment, to look at her, a brilliant smile on her face. Hermione couldn't help but return it with one of her own.

"You okay, sweetie?" Narcissa asked, pushing a curl back into place. Hermione nodded her head, unwilling to voice her concerns. She didn't want to seem as if she was trying to ruin her mother's big day.

Hermione thought about how they had arrived at this point.

Her father, Daniel Granger, had left her mother after she had found out that he was cheating on her, sleeping with his secretary. It had broke her mother's heart to find this out, but her mother had been strong, and demanded a divorce…which he had, surprisenly, denied.

Of course, it was only after he had left – the very same day that her mother had not only made her discovery but demanded a divorce – that the reason for denying her came into light. Narcissa and her had been surprised to find out about all the debts her had collectect…and most of them were for things that had concerned his mistrisses, most of them being ones he had even before he ran off, nothing about her or Hermione.

They had barely been able to survive with all of their money being sucked up by Daniel's debts, though Narcissa had been smart enough to keep a separate bank account that she had deposited money into daily, unknown to Daniel. However, it wasn't enough, and Narcissa had been unable to get a loan for the banks. Not only that, but her only family – Hermione's Great Aunt Marien – refused to help out because Narcissa wasn't willing to get rid of her.

So, they had almost been unable to survive. However, they had when the detective that Narcissa had hired to find Daniel so she could slap him with a divorce – one that would not have been pretty, for Narcissa had changed it so that Daniel would know what she had gone through with Hermione – came back to tell them that Daniel was in the hospital with multiple wounds from a car accident, and that it was unlikely he would survive…unless Narcissa was willing to do something about that.

Narcissa and Hermione had gone to the hospital he were at to visit…and so Narcissa could let him know that she wasn't going to do a damn thing to help him get the help that she could easily get for him. She told him that he should have thought about what he did before he slept with the whores that he did, and his STDs – something she found out upon asking the doctor about his condition.

Then, she did what she had been wanting to do since finding out about his infidelities; she turned her back on him, ignoring his soft calls for her to come back, and left. Then, she went down the hall to the secretaries room, and let her know – for she was on a roll, and the secretary was going to live anyways – that she hoped she enjoyed the STDs that she had, and not to even bother thinking she could get any money from Daniel, for he wouldn't live long enough to give it to her.

It was the only time that Hermione had seen her mother being purposely mean, and even then, when she got back to the house, her mother had felt like going back to the hospital and apologizing. It was only the fact that Hermione was there, giving her a look that said it wasn't worth it that she didn't.

Hermione continued to look out the window as her memories continued to flash through her mind.

Her mind immediately went back to the day that her mother had come to pick her up from school, happier than she had ever been. She had met someone at the store…well, she had accidentally ran her cart into him, and hurt him, but he had taken it gracefully; in fact, he had insisted that she allow him to take her out for dinner after introducing himself as Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione couldn't believe how quickly they were becoming close; not even the fact that Narcissa was a single mother of an seven year old was able to stop his attraction. In fact, when they first met, he had been charming to her – not as charming as he was to her mother, but charming as in 'I'll be a great father-figure/friend to you' charming. Hermione immediately knew that this was a man that could be trusted, one who wouldn't hurt her mother in anyway.

Which was why, almost a year and a half later, she had immediately said yes when he asked for her mother's hand in marriage.

Of course, the fact that he had a son had come up in conversation a lot, though Hermione had yet to actually meet him, as he was away in college. Narcissa had only met him once, and Hermione had yet to meet her to be step-brother. But, from what her mother had said, she didn't have much to worry about, as he was almost an exact carbon copy of his father, though more reserved and not quite in love with her.

Hermione would have thought it would be weird if he had been in love with her mother as well.

They finally arrived at the church, and Hermione wasted no time scrambling out of the limo, desperate to make sure that everything was going all right. While they were a bit earlier than needed, Hermione wasn't going to take any chances of something ruining her mother's day.

Shuffling her mother into the room that they were using as a dressing room. Taking the time to get all ready, Hermione and the other bridal party members crowded around Narcissa, getting her ready, though she insisted that they help Hermione get ready herself.

So Liana, the maid of honor, pulled Hermione aside, pulling her dress away from the others. Liana was already wearing her dress. The theme for the female part of the bridal party was _Ever After_. All of the bridesmaids were wearing a white cemise under a blue overdress that matched the Danielle character's servant dress from the movie.

Narcissa's dress was different, being an exact match of the masquerade dress that Danielle wore. It had a white silk chemise with a silver silk overcoat that matched beautifully. They braided her hair and put it up into an elegant bun, not a single hair out of place. The placed blue, clear, and white crystal pins around her hairline, making it glitter in the light before they placed the white veil and silver and crystal tiara on, covering the bun.

Once she was done, she looked beautiful, her carefully made face glowing. Hermione looked at her won reflection. The dress that she had to wear was different than the others. It was a blue silk dress that matched the theme but was just as elegant as Narcissa's dress. It had an empire waist, flowing silk skirt, and lace along all the hems. The sleeves were also different. There were slashed in the sleeves, which made only an inch thick strip stay high in her shoulders while the rest of the sleeve fell off of her shoulders. Lace decorated the inch thick strap on both sides while it also decorated only the bottom of the rest of the sleeves near her hands.

She had on a little bit of make-up, just a bit of neutral eyeshadow, blush, and pink lip gloss, and her hair was done to the maximum. The usually wild, frizzy curls that she had inherited from her father were also gone; in place of them were banana curls that flowed like a waterfall down to her waist. Half of her hair was also pulled back, the sides also braided with a small blue satin ribbon bow hair barrett holding the braids away from her face. Small blue crystal pins also adorned her hair, decorated withing the small braids as well as sprinkled with the curls.

_I think I need a haircut once this is all over_ went through her mind. It was the only thing she could think of as she looked at the fake blue crystal earings that she was wearing, as well as the matching blue ribbon choker that adorned her throat. She bit her lip. She looked like slightly overrun with blue; even her strappy sandles were blue.

However, she sucked up that feeling when she looked at the other girls. She looked like royalty compared to the others, though everyone paled in comparrison to her mother. She had no right to belittle her dress when the others had made her look like a princess.

She looked over at the time just as her mother did.

"Oh dear, it's almost time. Hermione, would you be a dear and see if Lucius is ready?" Narcissa asked her. Hermione nodded her head, feeling the need to get away from everyone else. The room was a bustle of activity know that the three bridesmaids and the maid-of-honor were working on themselves.

She left the room, shaking her head that the craziness that was going on. Though, she had to admit, she was a bit excited herself. She wondered down the hall, slowing slightly as she passed the chapel, gulping as she heard the people talking inside. She knew that she was going to have to walk into there, and was feeling nervous, though her part in the ceremony was small.

She hurried towards the room that the men were supposed to be in, and knocked on the door, hoping that she did indeed have the right room.

The door began opening as she heard Lucius's voice grow louder without something to block it. She looked up at the man who had opened the door and was about to ask him if they were ready when she froze as cold, grey eyes clashed with her own brown ones.

* * *

"Father, must you insist on such a lavish wedding," a cold voice drawled. Draco Malfoy, the eighteen year old son of Lucius, wondered why he felt the need for such a wedding. He knew from pictures that his mother's marriage to Lucius had been nothing like this. In fact, it had been a rather small affair, a hurried one, mostly due to him; an unexpected pregnancy had been the real reason why they had even gotten married.

"Yes, I do insist. You're lucky that Cissy didn't think it should be bigger, otherwise it would be a national event," Lucius said as he threw on the jacket to his tuxedo. Draco looked on with distaste.

He always wondered why he had told his father okay when Lucius told him his plan to marry Narcissa Granger. After all, while he did like her, he didn't like the fact that it seemed as if Lucius was replacing his mother, Alina. And yet, he had told his father that he wouldn't mind her joining the family.

Draco supposed it was the fact that, after the wedding, he was leaving for New York for college, and wouldn't be around her all that much. Of course, he doubted his father would have changed his mind if Draco had said something other than he did. His father had looked like a lovesick fool as he talked about Narcissa.

Draco shook his head as he refocused on Lucius.

"So, when –" he started, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Standing up and walking over to he door, he wondered who it was, and opened it.

The first thing he saw was beautiful goden brown eyes. They looked as if they were filled with knowledge. His eyes began taking in everything else. The beautiful hair, the blue dress. His eyes took in the entire picture. For a moment, he saw her as older, and felt an undeniable surge of lust fill his body; then, he blinked, and the vision was replaced by a little girl with golden eyes.

He mentally shook his head, forcusing on the girl in front of him.

"Yes, can I help you?" he said, trying hard not to sound mean, though he still shounded cold.

"Is Lucius here?" she asked, and, before he could say anything else, his father came over to the door, wondering who it was that had knocked.

"Hermione," Lucius said as Draco stepped back, still reeling from the unexpected lust that had shot through him. He was confused; he had never felt such lust, for any woman. The fact that a mere child was able to inspire it was just sick. He looked over towards the door, this time intent on study the girl who had inspired such lust.

He saw obviously tamed curly brown hair, a lot of blue, and pale skin. Lust crawled through his viens as he looked at her golden eyes and pink lips. Though she was young, she was extremely beautiful; something many could say was the result of being beautified for the wedding, though he could tell differently.

She was beautiful herself. While lacking the body of a woman, he could tell that she would most likely be an early bloomer, a girl who would sprout up quickly. He could already see small curves beginning to form on her. All in all, she was indeed extremely beautiful.

Visions began to dance across his mind, each more lewd than the last, and he crossed his legs to keep the bulge that was forming in his pants from being seen. It took a while from him to calm down, and, when he looked up once again, Lucius was closing the door.

"Who was that?" he asked, hoping that his father hadn't noticed anything. Luckily for him, Lucius didn't seem to as he asked, "She's your new sister, Hermione."

Draco felt as if an bucket of ice water had been thrown on him.

"What?" he choked out, unable to believe that he had those feeling invoked in him by a sibling. Lucius, who seemed to guess what he was thinking, but only to a point, quickly said, "She's your step-sister. That's Narcissa's daughter from her late ex-husband."

Draco nodded as he realized that she wasn't a blood relative to him, which made him feel so much better, for that meant that he hadn't really been fantasizing about a blood sibling, though he was still surprised to discover that he was going to have a step-sister.

"You guys never mentioned that Narcissa had a daughter," he causually said, looking at his nails as he waited for an answer. Lucius frowned in thought. He had thought that he had mentioned Hermione at one point to his son, but – upon further thought – realized that he hadn't.

"Sorry, I thought I had. Anyways, she going to be your sister soon, and I was hoping that – while her mother and I are on our honeymoon – you would be willing to take care of her. We're not going to be gone long, just about a week," Lucius said, eager to have some uninterrupted time to bed his wife.

Draco snorted, able to figure out exactly where his father's thoughts had gone, and yet disgusted that he had been able to. He really didn't want to know about anything his father and Narcissa would consider as playing. Instead, he thought about what his father was asking.

In truth, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle being around someone who had made him feel the way that he had, especially since that someone was going to become his sister. Yet, it maybe a good thing to spend some time with her; while he had never had such a lust attack from a member of the opposite sex before, he had been attracted to several other women, only to be turned off by them when they showed their personalities.

Something like that could happen with Hermione; after all, she was still young enough that he would most likely begin developing brotherly feelings for her if he staryed in her company long enough; in fact, he was positive that was what would happen. There was no way he would feel anything other than that for her sibling love, if that.

"Sure, I'll take her of your hands. We should get to know each other, after all," he said, his mind make up. There would be no way he would want her so much after being in her company for a whole week, no way that he would.

Oh, how he would be eating his thoughts later.

* * *

**Time Together**

* * *

The wedding went by in a blur of happy tears and pleasant phrases, as did the reception, until Lucius and her mother left, and she was left to find Draco Malfoy, her new step-brother. A frown crossed her face. She, in truth, didn't really care to go with Draco; he had stared at her all throughout the ceremony, making her feel uncomfortable.

Sighing, knowing that she really didn't have a choice. She started looking for him, finding him rather quickly in the room that Lucius had gotten ready in. She walked over to him, shivering lightly due to the cold air in the room as well as the creepy vibes she was getting off of him.

He heard her approach as he bent down to grab his bag, no longer wearing the suit that he had been. She noticed how he once again seemed to stare, and crossed her arms as she looked down, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Do you have your stuff here?" he asked suddenly, and she was quick in responding, nodding her head.

Go get it," he said, and she wasted no time in hurrying back ot the room where she had gotten dressed, and closing the door behind her. Biting her lip, she contemplated on whether she should get out of the dress now or later, and decided that, since she didn't know how long it would be before before she could get change out of the dress, to change in the room.

Carefully pulling out the decorations in her hair, she unbraided it as well before pulling the dress off, allowing it to pool at her feet. Reaching into her bag for a shirt and some lounge pants that she found pretty quickly, she threw them on before picking up the dress, and putting it back onto its hanger and into its garmet bag.

She was just closing her bag when the door opened. She looked up to see Draco standing there, an angry look on his face.

"What's taking so long?" he asked, trying to surpress the anger in his voice. He knew that he didn't have the right to speak to her in anger, but he was slightly tired, and they had a long drive ahead of them. He was going to take her to his father's home, which – from what he understood – was where her and Narcissa were going to move into after the honeymoon.

Of course, he was still living there, but, with college starting soon, he would be leaving right after they got back. He was planning on living in the dorms until he graduated, where he would more than likely take over his father's business. Not that he couldn't just apply for a job there now; he was wicked smart, and already new the basics to running the place, having helped his father a lot during high school.

However, the fact that she hadn't come straight back after getting her bag had him mad for some reason. He was kind of expecting her to do as she said, not leave him waiting for half an hour while she did something else.

It was a reaction that he couldn't help, as he usually had gotten his way in practically everything in his life. He was a spoiled little prince, according to a lot of people.

"I was just changing out of the dress. I didn't know how long we would be in the car when we drove to your house, and I didn't want the dress to get ruined," she said, slightly fearful of him. For a moment, she saw a look of anger cross his face, and it was a rather scary look.

He sighed, having noticed her reaction. He really should learn to keep a better check on his temper. After all, her reason was a rather reasonable one. Even he had to admit that he would most likely have had her change out of it. Ridding himself of his anger, he just nodded her head before motioning her to follow him.

Leading her to his car, he was about to say she could get into the front seat when she opened the back door, obviously choosing to not be so close to him, though he didn't realize that. In fact, he wasn't all that bothered by it, just choosing to get into the car. He was tired, and definitely ready to go straight to sleep.

* * *

The two hour drive had been filled with silence, as Hermione had fallen asleep twenty minutes in. Draco pulled up to the three-story mansion, parking the car in the garage before moving over to the back door. Unbuckling her, he gently picked Hermione up. He had to admit that she felt right in his arms, just the perfect weight.

Without realizing it, he was thinking about waking her up, allowing her to know that they had arrived at the house. Images of how he should wake her up passed through his mind as he walked into the house and up the stairs, each more disurbing than the last. These images ranged from gently shaking her away, which was the calmest, to placing her into his bed, peeling off her pants, and playing with her.

He shook his head, willing the least image out of his head as he headed toward one of the guest rooms. _She's only ten, she's only ten, she's only ten_ he repeated in his mind as he set her down on the bed, willing himself to leave her alone. He almost didn't leave the room until he noticed that it looked like she was about to wake up herself.

He quickly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a sigh. He had to force himself to continue away from the door and into his own room.

He wished he never said he would take care of her, as it was only the first night, and – despite the fact that she was younger, so young that what he was thinking was extremely illegal, no matter where they were – he was still so tempted to turn around.

He fled to his room to keep from doing that.

* * *

Hermione awoke when she heard her door being closed. She could immediately tell that she was no longer in a car, as there wasn't any movement other than the movement that she commandeered her body to do. Sitting up rather reluctantly from the bed, still tired, she walked over to the window, looking out for a second before closing the curtains.

She was planning on sleeping in when morning came, and she wasn't exactly the kind of person who could sleep when there was light shining in. She didn't know what it was, but, if there was even a little light – she wouldn't be able to sleep.

Crawling back into bed, her mind went to her new step-brother. A frown twisted her face. Despite the fact that he hadn't really done anything other than yell at her, she wasn't really comfortably around him. There was no real reason why, just something in her that was warning her that he wasn't good to be around.

Her eyelids grew heavy as she tried to dismiss her thoughts. They were keeping her awake.

* * *

Dawn arrived. With a grumble of displeasure, Draco rose from his bed, stumbling towards the window. A scowl adorned his face as he realized that he had forgotten to close the curtains. Rubbing his eyes in displeasure, he headed towards his bathroom, already knowing that there was no point in going back to bed.

Once he was awake, he would never be able to get back to sleep.

* * *

He was in the kitchen, making food when Hermione stumbled though the doors, eyes slightly closed. She stilled looked half asleep, and he wondered what had made her stumble out of bed when he saw her sniff, and walk over to where he stood. A rather loud growl filled the air.

_That answers my question_ he thought before piling some of the food that was already done onto a plate. Handing it to her, he turned and grabbed another plate before filling it up with some more food. He couldn't help but be slightly impressed with the way she ate; her eyes were completely closed, yet she ate daintily, without spilling a single drop of food. He had to wonder if she didn't have her eyes opened a tiny bit.

However, it seemed unlikely, for she never gave any indication that she knew he was watching her. She just ate, and, once done, pushed her plate away, and went to curl her arms up on the table. It was about that time that he realized that she was planning on sleeping some more, though it was time that she get up for the day.

"Hey, it's time to get up," he said, roughly shaking her. She groaned, unhappy as she pushed her head off of the table, blearily blinking at him. A glare crossed her face, and he almost laughed, for she reminded him of a little kitten trying to be a tiger with that look on her face.

However, knowing that she wouldn't like it if he laughed at her, he turned away, busying himself with clearing the dishes. He heard her leave the room, and waited until he was sure she wasn't within hearing distance before allowing himself a quite chucked as he quickly did the dishes.

* * *

Hermione stumbled her way back to her room, anger painted on her cheeks. _How dare he_ she thought, for, though she didn't hear it, she knew that he had laughed at her. She definitely felt more awake than before, though she hadn't been asleep as long as she wished; she knew that it was around 2am that the party had ended at, and between the fact that she hadn't slept well in the three days before the wedding, she was beginning to feel a bit worn down from the lack of sleep.

Sighing, already knowing that she wouldn't be able to crawl back into her bed, she walked towards the bathroom, took a shower, and dressed. Then, she went off to do whatever she could find.

* * *

Four more days passed in this manner, with Draco being the first to wake, followed by Hermione, him cooking them breakfast. Then, they would find something to do: Draco usually alternated between cancelling parties that he was supposed to attend that week and packing while Hermione found herself either in the garden, where she had begun to weed and take care of the already existing plants, or in the library, reading.

It was nearing dinnertime when something happened that disrubted their schedule. Draco, who was down in the kitchen, heard the sound of something hitting the ground upstairs, as well as the crash of shattering glass. He immediately hurried up the stairs, turning into the first room on the right, where he found Hermione standing, wide-eyed, next to a pile of glass.

It took him two seconds to realize what it was that she had just broke. It was a vase that had been in the family for generations, having been made by a distant relative for his to be wife at the time. At least, that's what his father had told him when he was younger.

It had been a favorite of his grandmother's, whose room this used to be.

"Did you just…" he trailed off, feeling idiotic for even thinking about asking if she had broken it. It was obvious that she had.

White hot anger filled him. That vase was one of the few things he had left of her grandmother, and…well, he didn't know why he was so angry, just that he was.

He marched over to her, careful not to step on any of the glass, and harshly grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the bed in the room. Hermione gave a small cry of surprise and pain. He bent her over his knees, flipping the back of her skirt up to she off her panty clad bottom.

A yelp left her at the first smack, and she felt her eyes widen as she tried to squirm away from him. He held her in place with one hand while the other continued to smack her butt, hard. Several tears began to slide down her face. While she knew what he was doing, she was a bit lost, having never actually been spanked before.

She sobbed at the hits continued, having stopped actually struggling a while ago.

It was after the next hit, with caused a loud yelp from her, and stung his hand, that he realized that he had been smacking her for quite awhile, and let her go, shocked at himself. He took a look at the shattered vase. While it might have been quite valuble, that wasn't really any reason to do what he just did. So far, she hadn't don't anything to warrant such a punishment.

She was quick in scrambling from his lap, and she ran from the room, heading straight to hers. Her breath came out in gasps, and her arm and butt hurted. Crawling into bed, she formed a ball underneath the covers, hugging a pillow tight her herself.

"Hermione," she heard Draco call, and she unintentionally gave off a whimper as she heard her door open. She didn't look up or around as footsteps sounded into the room.

* * *

Draco walked towards the lump on the bed. He knew that this was where she was, had known the minute he had come out of his own mind to realized that she wasn't still in the room. He knew that he needed to talk to her about what happened, at least try to explain why he did it.

If that failed, he also knew that he had to keep her from telling anyone about it, especially their parents. He honestly didn't want them to hate him, for he knew that they would probably hate him if they knew about his thoughts for her. Knowing that he hit her for no reason would make them desperate to keep him away from her, and he really didn't want to be unable to visit his father, or her.

If he was unable to visit, then he would probably be unable to think of her as just another girl. Not that he could think of her as just another girl right now, but he was hopeful that he would eventually be able to do just that. He just needed to have the power to be around her.

So he got her attention, pulling off the blanket, and turning her over to face him. It only took a few words for him to convice her not to tell anyone what happened, using clever words to convince her that it was what would have happened anyways. It was a rather easy thing to do, as, while she knew his father a bit, she didn't know him well enough to know if what she was beng told was trie or false.

So, she accepted it as true.

* * *

The final days passed differently compated to the ones before. While they still continued to do what they always did, there was an underlying tension that hadn't been there before, and they avoided each other more than before, not even bothering to each together anymore; Hermione refused to enter the kitchen if he was there in the morning, and woud usually eat something for dinner before he would get hungry.

Still, when their parents came home, she didn't mention anything about him hitting her, and acted normal.

He left the very next day.

* * *

**Happiness Doesn't Last Forever**

* * *

"Are you sure you can't come with us, Hermione?" a young boy with bright green eyes and shaggy dark hair asked her as he once again pushed his glasses upwards.

"I'm sure, Harry. I have a lot of things to do at home. Besides, Mom and Lucius's anniversary is tonight, and I told him I would help get the house ready for after their dinner date," she told him, hefting her rather heavy bag onto her shoulder with a huff. It had been a couple years since her mother had married Lucius; today was their four-year anniversary.

"Oh, come on," whined her other friend, a red haired boy with blue eyes and freckles. "You don't have to waste your time helping _him_ get things ready."

The way he mentioned her stepfather in distaste made Hermione's hands curl into fists. She still had yet to find out what Ron's problem with Lucius was – other than the fact that Lucius didn't care for Ron, and preferred him not to be around the house when he wasn't there – but it usually pissed her off a bit that he would act like that.

Other than that, though, they were the best friends a girl like her could have. They had met several years ago, after she had transferred to a private school closer to the house. Harry was the first to talk to her, offering to show her around the rather confusing building.

Ron, however, had been a little less inviting. Used to having Harry's attention, he hadn't been very willing to share it will some girl, as she had overheard him say to harry her first day, without him knowing she heard. His resistance to having her be Harry's and his friend in the beginning was what made it hard for her to consider him a worth while friend.

"Um, even if I don't have to help Lucius doesn't mean that I won't, Ron," she snapped at him. Harry sighed, knowing that his friends would most likely start arguing once more, as they often did. He had trouble understanding what it was that always sent them in that direction.

However, before it even got a chance to start, Narcissa Malfoy walked up to the trio.

"Hey, you ready?" she asked, speaking ot both Hermione and Harry. She and Lily Potter, Harry's mother, had become quick friends, and made an arrangement that worked quite well for them. Since they literally lived near each other as neighbors, they had decided to split who would drop off and who would pick up the two.

"Bye Ron," Harry said as he followed Narcissa to her car. Hermione didn't say anything, still angry at Ron. She practically stomped to the car in a moment of childishness, despite the fact that she had turned fourteen only five months beforehand. Calming down as she realized that she was no longer a child – in her mind, at least – and to act like she was acting at the moment wasn't what she should be doing.

So, in order to erase the anger that Ron had caused, she began to think about something else, and her mind immediately focused on the last few years. They had been good; actually, they had been more than good, they had been wonderful.

Lucius, while not her biological father, had made up for the fact by taking extremely good care of her. He treated her with kindness, would buy her nice things for her birthday and Christmas, and even made sure that she was never wanting when it came to new books and clothes.

He had also made sure to get her into the best school he could, which she enjoyed a lot, and never got angry with her. Of course, she hadn't broken anything like she did her first week in the house. She couldn't help but shiver as her mind went to her step brother.

She hadn't seen him since her mother and Lucius had gotten back from their honeymoon, as he had left the next day, early that morning before she had gotten up. She had been expecting Lucius to mention the vase that she had broken to her, as her why she had broken it, but he never did, originally leading her to think that it wasn't as important as Draco had made it.

She later learned that he hadn't mentioned her involvement in braking the vase, saying he had done it himself, when she overheard Lucius telling her mother. She had felt grateful to him for not telling them, but she was still scared of him, and was glad that he hadn't come try to visit.

They arrived home, and Harry waved a good-bye to her as he walked over to his front door. Hermione and Narcissa entered the house. While Narcissa hurried to her bedroom, Hermione headed towards Lucius's study. She knocked softly on the door before opening it, and saw that he was on the phone.

She stiid just inside the door, waiting for him to finish, and did her best not to listen to his conversation, though she was able to deduce that he was talking to his son. She stood there for about three minutes when he finally hung up the phone, and she walked towards him.

"Did you get what you want me to set up?" she asked, after saying hello and giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"Yeah, it's in the spare room. But don't set anything up yet,I don't want her to see before it's time. I plan on taking her somewhere in about two hours, so you can start then," he said.

"So, where are you taking her?" she asked him. Hee just gave a small smile, as he had the last few times she had asked that. While she was curious to know where he was planning on surprising her mother, she had been trying to get the location out of him for her mother's sake, who had been asking her to find out.

Somehow, she thought Lucius knew this too, which was why he refused to tell here where he was taking her mother out. The only part of the plan that she knew was what she had to set up.

Knowing that she wouldn't get anything from him – she never did when he wanted to surprise someone, whether it be her or her mother – she walked to her room, where she proceeded to pass the time doing what little homework she had, and reading one of the new books she had gotten a few days ago.

* * *

"Bye hunny, I'll see you when we get back," Narcissa said, leaning down to give a soft kiss to Hermione's forehead.

"Alright, Mom. See you later," she answered back. Waiting until she heard the car doors closed, she bounded down to the closed off living room. Sliding open the closed French doors, she was quick in seeing the bags in the corner. She was quick in laying out everything, placing the items on a nearby table.

Then, she began to decorate, placing streamers and ribbons here and there. She also was artful in the placement of the fake flowers that had been bought as well. After that, she placed candles everywhere, a lighter next to where the majority of them were at.

She looked outside after that, unsurprised to note that it was already becoming dark. She had gone a little crazy, trying to be a perfectionist in the way she worked, and, without realizing it, two and a half hours had passed, and the day had darkened considerably. Looking at a clock, she decided to head back to her room and read some more. Her mother and Lucius probably wouldn't be back for another hour, and she wanted to take advantage of the quietness of he place.

* * *

A loud knock on the door awoke her. Disoriented, she blinked several times, trying to figure out what was going on. It took her several seconds to realize that she had fallen asleep, and had been out for at least two, three hours at most.

_Where's Mom and Lucius_ was the first question through her mind followed by a wonder on who was at the door. Getting up out of her bed, she stretched, wincing as her body complained about the position it had been in.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she mumbled as she hurried down the stairs. Opening the door, she was surprised to discover that two officers stood there, both wearing grim faces. Foreboding ran through her.

"Umm, can I help you?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Are you Hermione Granger?" the one on the right asked. He was the taller of the two, as well as the more muscular one.

"Yes. Why do you want to know?" Hermione asked.

"We need you to come with us," the other one said.

"Why?" she asked again, not moving. She wasn't just going to leave with them without a good reason.

"I'm afraid that your parents have been in an accident," the one who had first spoken said. Hermione immediately felt horror at his words.

"Are they alright?" she demanded, only to have the officer look at her pitfully, giving her the answer she asked.

"I'm afraid that neither of them survived. We need to take you down to the station to identify them, and then see if we can't call someone to take care of you until more permenant arrangements are made," he said. Hermione tuned him out when he asked her to come down and identify the bodies they had, as it meant that there was a good chance that the police had been wrong, and asked them to give her a minute while she went to get her coat and cell phone.

She started for the door again, ready to grab the keys to lock it, when a sudden thought occurred to her, and she walked into Lucius's study, grabbing his contact book. She had a feeling that the number she wanted would be in it.

* * *

The numbness increased as she sat in the chair beside one of the officer's desk, where she had been sent to after identifying the bodies, who had indeed been her parents. She had been unable to say anything since she identified them. She just didn't know what to do at the moment.

The officer – the younger, shorter, more insensitive one – had tried to ask her if there was someone they could get ahold of, but the other officer had stopped him, telling him to give her some more time before asking her questions before sending him off to do something else.

That officer, the nicer one, waitng until he was sure that she could realize what he was saying and understand him before asking, "Is there anyone we can get a hold of for you?"

Hermione thought for a moment before she gave him the name and number of Lily Potter, Harry's mother. As he called her, Hermione looked down at her lap, realizing with a start that she held Lucius's contact book. She had forgotten that she had grabbed it, and realized that there was someone else that she had to talk to. Taking a deep breath, she turned toward the officer.

"Can I make a phone call myself?" she asked him. He nodded his head and pointed towards the other phone, still talking to Lily. Opening the book, she located the name she wanted, and picked up the phone. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves. She had never felt the need to call him before, and she was slightly nervous to do so.

Dialing the first number under his name, she took a deep breath as she waited for him to answer. She was beginning to think that he wasn't there, and was going to try the other number when the phone was answered.

"Hello," the familiar and yet unfamiliar voice said. She took another deep breath.

"Draco…"

* * *

**Obsession Doesn't Fade**

* * *

Several states away, Draco sat at a desk, a phone to his ear as his eyes scanned the papers in front of him. He was listening to his father speak to him, having called to give his congratulations as well as asked about some of the company figures that didn't seem to make sense to him. It took him a few seconds before he realized what the problem was; his secretary, Pansy, hadn't properly type the information up.

He really needed to find a new one. This wasn't the first time she had messed up information on him; in fact, it was a rather regular occurrence since he stopped going out with her. He just didn't understand what it was that would make her – as well as the others her casually dated throughout the four years – to develop such petty means of revenge.

Of course, if he was honest with himself, he would admit the exact reason why they would have such petty reasons; he hadn't exactly been the best boyfriend. He had always compared each of the women he dated to his step sister.

Though four years had passed since he saw her, it hadn't lessened his attraction towards her. If anything, it had strengthen it. His dreams were always on her, always imagining on things that would leave him to wake with a rather painful problem.

Like the dream he had just last night. He groaned as his body came alive once more at the mere memory. He couldn't help it that the thought of her being submissive to him brought his body to life; punishing her was an even bigger turn on.

Realizing that he wasn't helping himself forget, he quickly got up and locked his door, drawing the blinds over the door window that was for looking out of the room to give himself as much privacy as he possibly could.

Then, he went over to his desk, opening a drawer to pull out a single picture that was facing upside down. Turning over, he revealed the face of the one who haunted him. Hermione's eyes stared up towards him, a soft smile on her face. A birthday cake with the number twelve was in her hands, the candle lit and ready to be blown out.

He remembered the letter his father had sent to him with this photo, commenting on the fact that Hermione had been so proud to have made the cake herself, despite the fact that it was for her birthday.

He hadn't gone to it; in fact, he hadn't gone to any family related functions. The picture was sent to him by his father, who had been hounding him to visit. He studied it, just as he had done several times before, thinking abou the differences between it and how he saw her the first time they met.

There were a few, like the fact that her hair, no longer a frizzy mess he had seen the night after the wedding, was now in soft, definitely natural curls. Her body, while not a full woman, was definitely developing, the slight bump on her chest showing that she was an early bloomer.

Setting the picture down, he undid his pants, pulling out his erected cock. He looked at the picture again before closing his eyes. He began rubbing his cock as he imagined Hermione on the ground in front of him, her eyes looking up towards him as she took him into her mouth.

His hand began to move in time to his imaginary Hermione, whose tongue swirled around the tip of his cock before sliding down the length. In his vision, her hands came up, one coming to play with his balls as the other began replaced her tongue on his length, slowly pumping him.

Her tongue went back to the tip, swirling and tasting the precum that had gathered. She nipped lightly, drawing a moan from him, right before she took his entire length in her mouth. Her sudden action stunned him, and his hips thrusted in her mouth.

Groans and moans of pleasure left him as his hand spead up, his imagination showing that she was now sucking him lightly as her head bobbed up and down. Feeling his balls tighten, his hips gave one last harsh thrust into his hand before he came. Slumping in his chair, it took him a few more moments before he gathered his barings.

He opened up a drawer, reaching in to grab a washcloth he had placing in there for such occasions, before grabbing the picture and placing it back into the drawer. Grabbing his cell, he looked at the time. _Not even noon_ he thought, then pondered if it was worth finding someone to 'enjoy' lunch with. While the hand job he had just given himself had taken the edge off of his lust, he was still feeling lustful.

_Damn_ he thought. He should have known not to pull out that photo until he was sure he wasn't going to have to do anything else. Now, his mind was going to partially be on wanting to have sex, which was hard to deal with when he had some other serious business to do.

Sighing as he realized that there wasn't much else he could do, he determined that he would ignore the problem s well as he could.

* * *

"Hey there," a familiar blond said.

"Astora," Draco greeted, not bothering to stop her when she planted her lips onto his in greeting. It was how she always greeted her favorite customers.

"Is Letha free tonight?" he asked. He usually preferred her to others, and he definitely wanted her after the day he had. He mentally sighed as he thought about it.

The first thing he had done was fire his secretary. Pansy had bitched and complained, but her multiple mess ups had spoken for her in the eyes of those she had taken her complaint to. The last he had seen of her was when security was escorting her out of he building.

After that, he had gone through multiple, mind-numbing meetings, whose purpose had escaped his mind. Instead of focusing on the meetings, he had been focused on what his step-sister might be doing at that moment. It was stupid thing to focus on, as he knew she would most likely be at school.

Then, after the meetings, he been given more paperwork to go through, including contracts and many other things that need his signature. Stack after stack of signature need papers had, after a while, made it feel as if his hand was going to fall off. He hadn't finished until about an hour after the sun had gone down.

Plus, he had to deal with the fact that he would need a new secretary, and, in between giving his hand a rest, he had been looking at resumes that the company accepted all the time for secretarial positions, trying to find one that he would not feel a need to try and find suitable as a substitute for Hermione; it never ended well when he did that, for, no matter what, none of them could erase her from his mind.

Which was why he had come to Astora's Harem, a private bachalor's club of very friendly woman who were willing to do almost anything for a price.

"Unfortunately, Letha is busy at the moment," Astora said, answering his question. He scowled before bidding them good-bye, knowing that his chance at seeing Letha tonight were very slim. He refused to see anyone else.

Letha was the only brunette who remotely resembled Hermione, and never minded when he called her that name. He had tried the other brunettes, and they hadn't appreciated the fact that he wanted to pretend they were someone else; Letha, didn't care, so long as she was paid.

Sighing, he got back into his care, deciding to heard back to his apartment, which was actually a hotel room that only clothes, socks, two pairs of shoes, and his bathroom supplies. Beginning to undress, he paused when his cell began to ring. Quickly fishing it out of his jacket pocket, he paused a moment when she saw that the police station in his old town was the number.

"What the hell…" he muttered, answering it.

"Hello," he said. His heart almost stopped when he heard the voice on the other end.

"Draco…"

* * *

**Reacquainted**

* * *

It was raining. That was the only thought that went through her mind as she stood in front of two coffins, Harry standing on one side, Ron on the other. Their hands were wound together, but she barely noticed them. The only things she noticed were the coffins, the rain, and the hand on her shoulder, the hand that belonged to the man who was holding the umbrella above her head.

Her head turned lightly, quickly catching the silvery gaze of her step-brother…and guardian. She, of course, didn't know this fact for sure, but a remembered conversation she had heard between her parents had pointed to this being a fact. They would be meeting with a lawyer later to discover if this was true or not.

She sighed softly, her gaze turning back to the coffins. Her mind, however, stayed on the subject of her step-brother. After her call to him the previous week, she had been unable to speak to him, unable to tell him what had happened, unable because she had begun sobbing. The detective, who had just finished calling Lily, had quickly taken the phone from her, finding out the nature of their relationship before informing him of the demise.

She didn't know what Draco had told the detective, though she had an idea when he arrived at five in the morning the next day, waking her and Lily – who had held her as she cried herself to sleep – up.

Her first look at him had been that he had changed, though not by much. He looked older, obviously, but she could still see signs of the eighteen year old that he had been when she first saw him, his eyes the most prominent. They were still the same silver-grey that she remembered, the ones that had tended to stare at her so excessively that it almost always left her uncomfortable.

She wasn't as surprised as she thought she would be upon seeing him for the first time since he left the week after their parents had gotten back from their honeymoon. Part of her had known that he would come for her after hearing the news, though she wasn't expecting him so soon. Apparently, he had caught the first flight there in order to get there so fast.

Her eyes registered that the sermon the priest had been delivering was over, and she watched as everyone around them paid their respects before leaving. Ron was the first of her two friends to leave, not saying anything but gripping her hand tighter for a second before turning to go. Harry stayed a bit longer, but he too eventually left, leaving her allow with her step-brother.

It was when Draco's hand tightened on her shoulder that she realized that they had to leave, so they didn't watch as the coffins were lowered and buried. Turning, she walked away with him, his hand still on he shoulder.

* * *

_She's so still and silent_ was the thought that went through his mind as his hand gripped her shoulder. He wasn't watching, nor was he listening, to what was going on around them. Instead, his focus was on her and the call he had gotten from her the week before.

His heart, which had almost stopped when he heard her voice, had stopped when he overheard her sobs. He had been in a panic as he repeatedly called her name, only stopping when a male's voice began talking. It hadn't taken long for the guy to introduce himself as a police officer and tell him what had happened to his father and step-mother, though the officer had been unaware of who he was, nor why he had been called.

He hadn't said who he was, only asking where Hermione would be staying until he could get there, and discovering that the neighbor would be keeping an eye on her. Once he knew that, he had packed everything, called the airlines, and gotten the first ticket he could get to head home.

He was glad that the airplane was on time, in leaving and arriving – even more so when he had no problem grabbing his stuff and getting a rental car. He was in a bit of a hurry, worried about Hermione. He wasn't sure what state he would find her in, just knowing that it wouldn't be a completely good state.

Having been told which neighbor she would be with, he parked in front of his father's – _now his_ – house before heading over to the neighbors, who he remembered to be the Potters. He forgot about the time – about three in the morning – and knocked. Though she wasn't the one who answered the door, Hermione was the first person he saw when it opened.

Lily Potter, whom he remembered only meeting once, recognized him at one – his shared looks with his father easily recognizable – and let him in. He went straight to Hermione, picking her seemingly frail body up, and holding her just as tightly as she held him. His mind marveled at the way her body felt in his arms, how light she was; AKA, the wrong kind of thing to think about right now.

He had asked if she would prefer to sleep in her own bed, to which she nodded, and – after thanking Lily – brought her back home. He remembered where her room was, and placed her tired body in bed. He didn't leave the room; instead, he crawled into the bed next to her, though he didn't do anything but dream of touching her as he slept.

He had begun the funeral arrangements the next day, not wanting to leave them undone any longer, knowing that the sooner they got them done, the sooner he would find out what would happen to Hermione. He didn't know what his father and step-mother had decided to do if something happened to them while Hermione was under eighteen.

Which is what had led him to stand behind her, holding an umbrella over their heads, his other hand on her shoulder as he steered them to a car. The funeral had run through smoothly, people from his work, Hermione's friends, and Narcissa's friends coming to pay their respects.

Now, they were heading towards the law offices that his father favored. Riddle and Zabini Law Offices had been the offices that they always used when it came to business deals, as well as where they had listened to the will of his late grandfather. He had received a call from them earlier, as they informed him that they would need to see him, as well as Hermione, to discuss his father's will.

They were greeted at the door by Blaise Zabini when they arrived. Blaise, who was an old school friend of Draco's, was enthusiastic about seeing his old friend, though the enthusiasm was tempered with sadness. While he was glad to see Draco, he wished it was under some other circumstances.

As he made small talk with Draco, he led the way to his father's office – he wasn't quite a lawyer yet. He knocked on the door, alerting Damon Zabini, his father, that Draco and Hermione had arrived.

"Come in, come in," the usually happy man said, his voice and face uncommonly somber in light of his friends' death.

"I am assuming you may already know why I called you here?" Damon asked, after giving Hermione a friendly hug – he was her unofficial uncle – and shaking Draco's hand. He had been surprised when he saw Draco, for he looked quite a bit more like his father than he had before.

"To discuss the will my father left, as well as any will Narcissa may have left as well," Draco stated. Damon nodded.

"Your parents decide to have a joint will, instead of a single one for each of them. They thought it would be easier that way," Damon said, holding up a single piece of paper. He opened it before he began reading it out loud.

Neither Draco nor Hermione really listened to the beginning, where they basically gave the house and all of their assets to Draco, save for about five million and one of the Victorian townhouses they owned, which they gave to Hermione, though she wouldn't receive it until she was eighteen.

They began listening as they came closer and closer to discovering what Hermione's fate would be.

"And Hermione's legal guardian will be my son, Draco Malfoy, who will also…" Damon continued on. Draco was no longer listening, now feeling as if bugs were crawling inside of his stomach. He remembered what had happened the last time he had been in charge of Hermione – he had ended up spanking her. She was older now, and he wasn't quite sure what he would do.

Surprisingly enough, though, he didn't think he would be able to regret doing anything to her if he did do something. He had regretted it last time because of her age, but, as he had noted before, she was older.

While he wondered about what he might do with Hermione now his ward, Hermione wondered what would happen now. It was very likely that he would make her leave everything she knew to go live where ever it was that he lived. Would he be opened to staying in the house she was used to?

She was also nervous to be in his custody. Her mind was remembering the last time he had custody over her, and how quick he had blew up at her, while at the old house – Lucius and her mother had decided to move somewhere closer to the town so it would be easier for her to go to school and meet friends. While they still had that house – it was Draco's now – they usually only went there on vacations.

Damon finished reading the will, and Draco quickly brought his attention back to the matter at hand.

"So, that's it," Damon said, before apologizing that, as much as he wished they could speak longer, about something other than what they had come there for, he had another appointment. Hermione, who just wanted to go back home, not wanting to be around anyone really, was glad to know that they wouldn't be staying.

* * *

"Where are we going to live?" was Hermione's first question when they arrived at the house. Draco, who hadn't thought about this, bit his lip. He could tell that there was really no reason why he should make her leave what she knew for a hotel room. And it wouldn't be that hard to transfer what he had been taking care of where over there and bring it here.

"I suppose that we can stay here," he said, his mind on what it would take to get what he needed sooner rather than later. It wouldn't take long to get situated either.

* * *

**The Beginning**

* * *

_Three months later_

* * *

The last three months had been…okay. While Hermione and Draco didn't actively avoid each other, they were careful around each other, for different reasons.

Draco did so because, since arriving back there, it had been hard for him to control himself around her, and his dreams took a even more sexual turn, adding in her scent and the way her skin felt to them. He always awoke with a hard on now, and there had been times when he almost went to her to act out his dreams. It was only the fact that she didn't quite seem aware of her own sexuality – that she still seemed innocent, even if her body wasn't – that he hadn't attacked her.

He had given up on trying to even think about himself without her; now, he was only waiting until she was ready, though it was hard. His only consolation was the fact that, save for those two boys who were her friends, she didn't seem aware of the other gender all that much, something that seemed to add to her own innocence.

Of course, he wasn't there the whole time, as, during the first month, he had been back and forth between where he had been living and that town while getting his affairs in order. He had finished that within the first month, though he did did take two other trips back there within the second month, spending four days the first trip, and two the second.

Meanwhile, Hermione preferred not to be around him because he made her feel uncomfortable. While she was unaware of his obsession over her, there was something about him that seemed to tell her to stay away. And then there was the fact that, as the numbness that she had been trapped in wore off, and she begun to actually see the world around her, she had begun to notice just how handsome Draco was.

She wasn't attracted to him, at least, not fully. However, her body didn't seem to listen to her mind all that much, and there were times that it reacted in a way that tended to leave her confused. Plus, her dreams had become nightmares – most of them about him trapping her, hurting her – helped make her want to stay away from him even more, which was why she always accepted invitations to her friends houses, and tried to stay out longer than she would have. She actually liked it when he hadn't been able to stay the entire time, usually spending that time sleeping on the Potter's guest room.

Luckily for her, in her quest to stay out longer, Daniel, the guy she had been crushing on for a while, had begun to hang out with her, Harry, and Ron. They had also begun to get closer, and Hermione felt like she was floating on cloud nine when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

Of course, Draco didn't realize that this was happening, for she always seemed to let him know what was going on, and she usually came home in time for dinner. Her mood was also usually somber when she did so. Draco figured that she was still saddened over their parents death over three months ago. Plus, she did her best not to let him know that she didn't care for his company, as he had been nice enough not to move her away from what she knew, not forcing her to have to get used to a whole new school, a whole new situation.

So he knew that something had changed when Hermione arrived home that day, later than usual and in a better mood. He raised and eyebrow, wondering what it was that had made her come home with a bright smile, and couldn't help but think it was something that he wouldn't care for.

However, before he could ask her, he heard the door of her room shut. He stood, unable to help the suspicious feeling that coursed through him. He quickly walked up the stairs, coming to stand at her door, where he could hear her talking to someone on the phone.

"Unfortunately no. Ron interrupted before we could," he heard her say. "But it was so close. If Ron had stayed away for a few more minutes, Daniel and I would have definitely kissed each other."

Red painted Draco's vision. He had been unaware that she had been actually seeing someone, for she had never mentioned that she was with someone other than the two he knew of.

"Yes, he did," he tuned back in. "He also asked me out for our first date tomorrow."

Draco stopped listening then, heading straight for his own room. Anger now coursed through him, and he immediately picked up the first thing his hand came upon and threw it before sitting down on the edge of his bed, thinking about this change in development. He hadn't been prepared on what to do if she wanted to see someone other than him.

He didn't like it, nor did he like what he had over heard. Her lips, as well as her body, belonged to him. He knew that he needed to stop this, to keep her from this boy she was seeing. After thinking about it for a while, he remembered that he had been thinking about taking a trip alone to the mansion while leaving Hermione with Lily Potter. He hadn't actually made the arrangements yet, though, because he wasn't sure if he would do so, and now he was glad that he hadn't.

Hermione would be going with him, and they would be staying a while. With this thought in mind, he begun to pack some clothes, being quick about it.

* * *

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Hermione, while Draco was packing his bags, she was trying to pick out the perfect outfit to wear on her date tomorrow. She still had Ginny on the phone, holding it up to her ear as they tried to find something for her to wear. Of course, they weren't having much luck, what with her and Ginny unable to agree upon something to wear.

Ginny wanted her to were a dress, the red dress she had bought for Hermione as a gag gift to be precise, and Hermione was refusing to do so. She had her reasons for not wanting to wear it; the dress was a bit provocative on her, meant to seduce the person it was worn for. While Hermione was sure that she would eventually wear it for Daniel, she wasn't quite ready to send that message to him yet, and even told Ginny so.

Ginny laughed at her, finally agreeing that she was right before suggesting that she wear her ankle length jean skirt and forest finery top. Locating the top but not the skirt, she decided – with some input from Ginny – to wear the forest fire skirt instead. Saying bye to Ginny, she placed her choices onto the edge of her bed before her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten yet.

She laughed to herself as she left the room, not noticing that Draco stood near it with several bags in his hand.

* * *

Draco was surprised when she opened the door and breezed by him, not even noticing his presence. It angered him, that she didn't notice his presence, even without seeing him. He was always aware of her when they were in the same room, even if he didn't see her.

Upon entering the room, his eyes saw the clothes on the bed, and a sneer overtook his face as he saw the skirt and top. Setting the bag right next to it, he began filling it, starting with her rather plain undergarments, followed by her actual clothes, including the outfit she had chosen for her 'date'.

Then, as he was placing the clothes he found on the ground into the bags, he came to the dress, the one that Ginny had been trying to get Hermione to wear, and her froze as he held it in his hands, his body strongly reacting to the mere thought of her wearing it. He quickly added it to the bags before leaving the room, having filled all three of them completely. He made sure to turn off the lights upstairs as he passed the switches.

Taking them to his car, he peeked into the kitchen as he passed it, having sensed that was where she would be found. She was eating beginning to eat something, having just finished making it. Continuing to his car, he placed the bags next to the ones that were filled with his clothes.

Slamming the trunck shut, he headed back in to lock the house up and retrieve her.

* * *

Hermione jumped slightly as she heard the trunk of the car slam shut. Hand over her heart, she turned, heading towards the garage only to almost run into Draco as he headed towards the front of the house, where she heard the door lock. Her brow narrowed in confusion, as he went by, locking things up and shutting off lights.

_Wha…_she thought, he hand coming out to stop him before he entered the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting everything closed up," he answered. However, before he could continue, she interrupted.

"I see that. But I don't get why your doing that. I mean, I'll still be here. There's no reason to shut everything down," she said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, you're not staying here. Your coming with me," he simply said. Her mouth dropped open.

"Um, no I'm not," she said. "If your going somewhere longer than a few hours, I can stay with Ginny."

Normally, she wouldn't argue about where she would go anyways, but she didn't want to miss her date. And besides, she knew that she would most likely go over to Ginny's tomorrow anyways, in order to get ready for said date, so it wasn't like she would be unexpected. As for tonight, Lily wouldn't mind her staying over. She had done it a few times already.

"I'll go get a bag ready," she continued, about to head upstairs. However, she stopped when his hand grabbed her arm.

"It's not needed, as your not staying here. Now lets go," he said again, this time pulling her towards the garage. She winced at the tight grip he had on her arm.

"I said no," she said, trying to wrench her arm away. His insistence of her going with was starting to scare her. However, his grip only got tighter, and his other hand shot out, connecting with her face. A stinging pain erupted from her cheek as her head snapped to the side. A whimper of pain left her, just as any anger that was beginning to grow did, fear taking it's place.

She was suddenly reminded of the only other time she had been smacked. He had been the instigator of that time as well. Another thought occurred to her. Why did she have to go with him? Obviously, this was not a business trip as she had thought it was, for he usually didn't demand that she go with. And it wasn't her birthday anytime soon, so he couldn't be trying to surprise her.

"Why?" she asked, knowing that he would get what she was asking.

"Because your _mine_," he hissed. "And, unfortunately, you don't seem to get that fact."

Her eyes widened in surprise for two reasons. One, his declaration that she was his surprised her, as she wasn't sure why he would even think that, much less say it. And two, there was no way he could know anything about Daniel, her almost kiss, and date unless he had been spying on her.

As that thought occurred to her, he smiled wickedly at her, her face having shown the thought. He pulled her close, his other hand coming up to tangle into her hair, tilting her face up towards his.

"What, you didn't think I wouldn't find out, did you?" he said, turning them so her back was up against the wall. He let go of her arm in favor of grabbing her chin. His other hand slid down from her hair, coming to rest on her shoulder.

"It's not nice to hide things," he continued. Her lower lip trembled as his hands moved once again, down to her waist this time, and she blinked in surprise when her feet left the ground. His body pressed her against the wall harder, holding her up. Her head hit the wall behind her as she tried to put distance between his face and hers, for they were now level.

"And if you wanted to experience your first kiss," his hand pushed her head forward to retangle into her hair, his other on her thigh, which her had picked up to wrap around his waist, "all you had to do was ask."

"No," she said, but the rest of what she planned on saying was lost as he crashed his lips to hers. She squeaked, trying to move her head so that his lips no longer touched hers, but the hand tangled in her hair kept her in place. His tongue entered her mouth almost immediately, unhindered by her lips, for she hadn't had time to close her mouth.

When trying to move her head failed, she bit down, tasting blood as a muffled cry erupted from him. He pulled away, glaring at her, but the tears that had begun to fill her eyes as she realized that he had stolen her first kiss blurred her vision. He moved away from her, letting her drop though his hand remained in her hair.

A yelp of pain came from her due to the movement, for his hand remained at the level her head had been, and she felt as if he was trying to either pull out every strand of hair in his grasp or if he was trying to keep her off the ground by holding her hair. Which ever the answer was, it hurt.

He pulled her after him as he headed towards the garage, swallowing the blood that pooled in his mouth. Anger fueled his movements as he practically threw her into the side of the car, though she hit the ground before she hit the actual car. Another yelp of pain was heard as she pulled her now bloodied elbow towards her, trying her best not to aggravate the wound.

He walked towards her once more, grabbing her uninjured arm as he opened the door, pushed the seat forward, and pushed her into the back, making her climb into the car as best as she could. She turned and sat, knowing that it would be useless if she tried to climb back out, as he had immediately placed the seat back into it's correct position.

She saw him walk back into the house, and contemplated working her way back out, but quickly dropped that idea when he walked back out of the now dark house, two pairs of keys in one hand, a first aid kit in the other. She watched as he got into the car, practically tossing the kit at her while setting down the keys – which she recognized to be the ones to the mansion – before he shut the door, the dome light flickering out.

_At least I know where I'm going_ she thought, though it didn't comfort her as much as she wished it would. However, it just wasn't enough to know where she was when she would be with someone who was obviously insane, and the fact that she would be in his complete mercy didn't help.

_Especially when he's mad_ went through her mind as she blindly found one of the gauze packs, and opened it to press against her wound. Though she had already been hurt, something seemed to whisper that he was still angry at her for biting him, and her wounded elbow wouldn't seem to be an appropriate punishment.

She swallowed hard, biting her own tongue as he drove away from the house that had been home for her since her parents had moved them there. The scenery around them passed by fast, and she somehow knew that screaming wouldn't help her, nor was trying to distact Draco; it would most likely cause an accident, and, no matter how much she didn't want to be near him, she wasn't ready to die.

She gasped out loud when the next hard turn her took sent her crashing toward the other side of the car from where she was, reminding her that she had forgotten to throw her seatbelt on. Her head banging against the side reminded her, and she struggled to sit up to put it on, the first aid kit forgotten, though the gauze that she had been using to staunch the bleeding remain on the wound, the blood acting like glue to it.

Realizing just how fast he was going, a muted hope flaired in her. There had to be a cop somewhere. But, as she saw the gates to the mansion open and close, that hope melted away, leaving nothing but despair as she watched them close behind her. She yelled at herself for not putting up much of a fight, though she knew that she should of done so, but fear had dominated her, just as it was doing once more as the mansion came into view.

As the car stopped and he climbed out, she finally had a glimpse of his face, shuddering at the fact that he still looked angry, and knew that she had been right. He wasn't satisfied by her wound as a punishment; he had something else planned. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was, either.

* * *

**Punishment**

* * *

She pressed herself against the opposite side of the car, though she didn't have to worry about him going for her straight away. Instead, she watched as he went to the trunk of the car, opening it and grabbing some of the bags before heading towards the front door.

She thought for a moment that he would set the bags on the porch, but noticed him open the door and turn the porch light on, making her look around the car and noticed that the house keys were gone. She hadn't even seen him grab them. She noticed that he was in there for awhile before he came back out. She thought he was going to grab her, and moved herself back into the position she had been in.

It was as he was passing her again, with what she figured to be the rest of the bags he had brought, that she realized that she had an opportunity to escape. It seemed he was taking his sweet time in where he placed the bags, probably to draw out her panic at the thought of what he might do next. It was working, she knew that, but now, the fact that she might have a chance to get away from him overshadowed the panic.

She waited until he walked through the door before launching for the little latch that would push the seat forward and grabbing the car handle. She did her best to keep quiet, though she knew that it wasn't very easy, and push the door opened. Unfurling herself from the back, she picked the first direction she could, and ran.

She had just managed to hit the woods when she heard the scream of her name from him. She forced her body forward, her hands out in front of her as she tried to keep from running into a tree. She stumbled several times, tripping over roots and broken branches. She could hear him behind her, but it was getting to be fainter, as if he was going off in a different direction, or she was getting further away from him. She felt relief at either, for that meant less of a chance of him catching her, and more chance of her making it to the road, though whether or not there would be someone driving by would be slim.

Her relief was short lived as she tripped over something, her hands and arms being scraped against the ground. A cry of pain left her as she hit her already wounded elbow against something else, something that felt sharp. She moved her arm away, carefully using her other hand to discover what it was that she had hit, as it was too dark to really see her surroundings.

Her fingers traced the sharp rock, noting that it would make a rather good weapon. She could hear him heading towards her once more, having heard her fall and cry, and she was now feeling the consequences of her actions in the form of burning muscles. Plus, her injured arm was even more injured than before, a small river of blood flowed from the wound.

She pushed herself up, gripping the rock in her hand as she did so. She held the rock in front of her, the sharp edge away from her body. Her arm shook as the sounds of him coming towards her became louder. Then, it was silent, and she heard him say her name, sounding as if he was right in front of her. She swung her arm out, misjudging just how close he was to her, and stumbled as her own memento of the movement caused her to feel off balanced.

She immediately realized her mistake in making herself vulnerable when he grabbed her wrists, forcing them together into one hand while removing the rock with his other. He pulled her forward, her soft body hitting his hard one as his free hand wrapped around her waist. He did a little bit of twisting them around so that her back was against his front, her wrists still held in his one hand, pushing lightly against her chest while his arm stayed at her waist.

He picked her up a bit, making it so her feet barely touched the ground, and leaned forward slightly, his lips touching her ear. She couldn't help the shiver of dread that went through her as his breath danced across her ear and cheek.

"Now, that wasn't a very nice thing to do, Hermione," he said, squeezing her tightly, causing a gasp to leave her just as her breath did. He began walking, heading back to the house. She trembled, knowing that struggling would get her nowhere, as his tight grip on her prevented all movement save for her legs, and, while she could kick, she wasn't sure that she could kick hard enough to get him to let her go.

The light from the house was soon seen as the woods became less dense. She gulped as they got closer, feeling as if she was about be enter a prison rather than a house that she had been to several times. He didn't let her go until they passed through the door; even then, it was a simple placing her down on the ground and removing his arm around her waist so he could shut the door.

He pulled her up the stairs, grabbing the only bag she could see – wondering where the others were for a moment, before a stumble over almost missing a step brought her back to the moment. Not wanting to think about what he might do, she began to think about something else, deciding to focus on how she would fix her elbow the first chance she got, and fix it properly this time as well. She could tell that it was still bleeding, for when she looked down to watch her step after her stumble, she could see little drops of blood fall towards the ground.

She looked up, planning on speaking, only to stop when he came up to the door to her room and opened it. Her mouth snapped shut as he harshly pulled her in, finally letting her go. She stumbled a bit, catching herself on the end of the bed. She looked at him, trying to figure out what he was planning on doing, but his back was turned to her, and she couldn't see what he was doing, only that he was rummaging through the bag.

Her elbow then stole her attention, as it began throbbing with pain, almost like it was reminding her that it had been hurt. She walked over to her desk, opening it to find her first aid kit, though a part of her seemed to believe that the wound would need more than what she could give.

She looked towards him, noticing that he hadn't stopped his looking, and then came to sit on her bed, the kit in hand. This time, with the light, she was able to see how bad it was and winced. It seemed that the rock had managed to dig into the previously scraped skin, making an actual cut appear.

Grabbing yet another gauze pad, she pressed down on it, wincing, and waited for the bleeding to stop. While she waited, her eyes went over to Draco, whose position hadn't changed. She made herself small, still a bit fearful of him, but his lack of doing anything was quickly making her feel as if she had been wrong about any punishment towards her.

However, just as she was checking to see if the bleeding was still as heavy as before, he straightened and turned towards her. She shook at the look of anger on his face, though she already knew that it was there. However, it was the belt in his hand that scared her the most. It seemed that he had decided how he was going to punish her.

He grabbed her uninjured arm and pulled her up again. She went with the movement, though she didn't allow her hand to move from putting pressure on her wound. He stood her up, setting the belt down for a second before his hand went to the button on her jeans. She panicked immediately, going to move, but one of his arms wrapped around her waist immediately while his hand undid the button.

Her jeans slackened immediately, and began to slip as he pulled the zipper down, his fingers brushing up against the front of her panties as did so. He brought his hand to the side of her jeans, pushing them down until they were at her feet. Then, he bent her over on the bed, pressing her front to the mattress. She had to turn her head to avoid her face being pressed into the mattress as well.

She didn't see him pick the belt back up, her head turned in the wrong direction, but she did hear him pick it up. She tensed as she heard what sounded like the flick of it in the air, and waited for it to hit.

It hurt, a lot more than she was expecting, as he hit her. It felt like a thin stream of fire was repeatedly hitting her, and she silent wished that he was hitting her like the last time he had, with his hand. Compared to the pain now, if felt much tamer.

The next blow caused a cry out of her, though something other than pain went through her as well. It wasn't until two more hits that an idea of what else she was feeling came to her, for the hit after that resulted in a low moan. She slammed her mouth shot after that, instantly mortified with herself.

How was it that her body was enjoying this? She, at least, her mind wasn't, yet the pleasure that flowed through her told her that what was happening to her body was turning her on.

Draco paused in his striking when he heard her moan, just as surprised as she was. Did she enjoy this? He placed the belt down before slowly running his hand down from her back, across her ass, and to the area between her thighs. She squeaked when she felt him touch her there, trying to move away for the first time since he had placed her in the position she was in. He ignored her, save for the tightening of his grip on the back of her neck, which was how he had kept her from moving.

He could feel her wetness, and couldn't help but smile at the fact that he had caused her arousal, even if he hadn't been going for such a result. This was a punishment, for both her biting of his tongue and her trying to leave him. Yet, she wasn't taking it much like a punishment.

As much as he liked his affect of her, as he picked up the belt, he knew that pleasure wasn't the feeling she should have. As he flicked the belt back, he prepared himself to use more strength in his hit.

A shriek left her this time, for only the feeling of pain went through her with that hit. The next four hits hurt just as bad, and she couldn't help begging him to stop, something she hadn't done since he started. He froze when he heard her apologize, though what she was apologizing for wasn't know to him. Was she apologizing for biting him or running from him? Either or, it really didn't matter to him. She was still apologizing, and it was enough for him. Besides, he honestly didn't like spanking her a a punishment; maybe as something fun, but definitely not a punishment. He just couldn't think of another way to punish her without causing damage.

He let her go, picking her up and turning her around. He didn't try to make her sit – the mere brush of her bottom against the front of him had sent whimpers out of her mouth, showing that the skin was too tender to be touching anything. Instead, he turned her around to face him, where he took in the tear-stained cheeks, watery eyes, and trembling lips.

His eyes looked downwards, quickly discovering her wounded elbow, which he had forgotten about. The gauze wasn't red from what he could see, leading him to see that she had stopped the bleeding.

He felt bad for having not noticed her arm, only now just noticing the thin trails of blood that had run up her arm previously. He knew that she had hurt her elbow earlier, before they left the house, but he didn't think it was this bad. However, as he moved her hand away, and looked at the wound himself, he found an answer to his question.

_Well, that's what she gets for trying to run_ he thought as he gently cleaned and bandaged the wound. Once done, he wrapped his hand back into her hair.

"Now," he said, pulling her head back so she was forced to look at him. "I think it's time to retry that kiss from before, don't you?"

She wanted to say no, even wanted to wrench her head away from him, but her sore bottom told her that saying no wasn't a good idea. Of course, whether or not she said no wasn't even considered by him, for his lips immediately sealed themselves to hers.

This kiss wasn't like the last. It was slower, softer in a way. He gently sucked on her top lip before sucking on the bottom, his teeth nipping on it for a second before releasing it. His tongue then swept against the seam of her lip, asking…no, demanding permission into her mouth. When she didn't open it automatically, he allowed his free hand to travel downward, stopping on her lower back, just above her ass.

The warning was clear to her: open her mouth willingly, or face more pain. She opened her mouth, and his tongue immediately swept in. Unlike last time, he took his time in exploring her mouth, making sure that no crevice stayed hidden. Then, he rubbed his tongue against hers, demanding that she participate as well.

She remained motionless, not stopping him but not participating either. He thought about forcing her to participate, maybe using the same way he got he to open her mouth, but decided not to do so. Instead, he parted from her.

"That was better," he said, still not releasing her hair. "However, next time, I expect you to participate next time, understand?"

He let her go then, not bothering to get an answer from her as he moved away. He turned towards her for a second to point out that her clothes were still in the bags that were on the other side of the bed, and that he would see her tomorrow before walking out, closing the door behind her.

Hermione stood there a few minutes, not sure what to think anymore. Her mind was clouded with the thoughts of what he had just done, of the kiss he had given. The first kiss had been harsh, the second not so much. In fact, it she was honest, she wanted to experience the second kiss again. It had been a bit of a trial to stay still, not to join in, for she had once thought that her first kiss would be just like that, and it had been hard to remember who it was delivering the kiss to her.

Groaning to herself, she turn in a half spin, allowing herself to fall onto her bed, where she stayed for the rest of the night, falling asleep in that position.

* * *

**Listen to Me – Rules **

* * *

Bright lights from behind her eyelids were what woke her. Sitting up, she flinched as she sat on her butt, which felt tender. As she stood and looked around, she recognized her room at the mansion, not the room she had been expecting to see. It took her several minutes to remember everything that had happened a few hours ago.

A shudder ran through her as she thought about what he had done. It wasn't the kidnapping part that made her shudder, no; not even the idea of the fact that he had taken her first kiss made her shudder. It was spanking that he had given her, the fact that she had felt pleasure at the punishment. She wasn't a masochist; at least, she didn't think she was. She didn't get off on pain. Yet, for some odd reason, that was what had happened.

Hermione sighed, pushing her hair away from her face. The moment caused her arm to send out a bit of pain, as if reminding her that her butt wasn't the only part of her that hurt. Sighing again, she walked toward the bathroom, her body doing the automatic motions that she would usually do in the morning, while her mind was thinking about the situation she found herself in.

She didn't know what was going on now. Why Draco had suddenly snapped? Where had he gotten the idea that she was his? She barely knew him; why would he think she was his? She shook her head; thinking about these questions weren't doing her any good. She was going to have to ask them to him if she wanted an answer to any of them.

She got into the shower, feeling relief as the hot water cascaded down her body. It felt nice against her tender butt, soothing it, and she was loathed to leave the warmth. So, she procrastinated, prolonging the time that she had in there as she washed herself, slowly washing her hair and conditioning it. All too soon – at least, that's what it felt like to her – the water began to run cold.

She hopped out of the shower, drying herself off before dressing in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt. She changed the now wet bandage on her arm, scrunching her nose at the wound, which looked horrible – like someone had dug a spoon into her arm, and pulled out some skin, muscle, and tissue – and vaguely wondering if it would need stitches. She doubted that, even if it did, she would be getting them. From what he had done last night, it didn't seem like he would be willing to take her to a doctor or calling one there.

She would most likely tell them about how Draco had gone crazy and kidnapped her if that did happen.

Sighing as she realized that her only option would be to run again – _look how well that had turned out_ – she knew that she had to at least try again. Not trying would make her a coward, something that she wasn't. She never gave in easily – which, looking back at last night, made her sick when she realized that she had given in too easily. She should have fought more, should have fought until he knocked her out.

_Who know what he would have done to her then_ her mind supplied, telling her that it was alright that she hadn't fought back, that it was a good thing that her instinct to survive was stronger than her pride. She mentally scowled, still not believing that, though she knew that her mind was right. He could have easily killed her of she fought, or knocked her out.

Grabbing a pair of socks, she threw them on, and looked around for her shoes only to realize that there were none. He hadn't packed any shoes for her! She huffed. _Well, escaping has just gotten _harder she thought, realizing that the other shoes she been wearing were gone as well. Still, she didn't want to stay, and she pulled on as many pairs of socks as she could. Then, steeling herself, she quietly headed out of her room, looking around to see if he was anywhere near her. She knew that her chances of escaping now were pretty low, but still…she had to at least try.

She made her way downstairs, being as quiet as she could. She listened as quietly as she could, hearing nothing as she hurried down the stairs. Pausing at the bottom step, she looked around, seeing and hearing nothing around her, and she hurried towards the door.

_Almost there_ she thought, only to pause when she heard Draco's voice say, "Going somewhere?"

Her muscles seemed to freeze her in place, just inches from the door. She knew that he was behind her, could now hear him walking down the stairs. _How had she not noticed him_ she thought, knowing that he had to of been there before she had come down. She had looked behind her several times, so he couldn't have followed her.

"Well, Hermione, where were you going?" he asked, and Hermione couldn't stop the whimper that came when she felt his hands on her shoulders. She tensed as he turned her around, making her face him. Her hands formed balls at her sides as he grabbed her chin and made her look at him.

"Answer the question, Hermione," he commanded her, slapping her harshly several times when she retained her silence.

"Nowhere," she whimpered, flinching when she saw his hand rise again. Her cheek felt raw from the previous slaps, and she knew, even without looking in a mirror, that her cheek would be reddened from the assault. Her eyes were watery, but she held the tears at bay, not wanting to cry in front of him.

"Luckily for her, he believed her, bringing his hand down slowly to brush against her abused cheek. He could see the tears in her eyes, begging to fall while she fought against them.

"Okay, well, it's time for breakfast. And we have things to talk about," he said, pulling her towards the kitchen. He led her to the table, which he had moved to rest against the wall on one side. He had made a sort of cage like area, formed by two walls, the table, and another chair, that she knew was where he would place her, which he did.

She sat there as he made food for them. He made something simple – eggs and bacon – not feeling the need to make an extravagant meal. Placing a place with a fork in front of her, he sat down in the chair next to her, cornering her completely. She made no move to eat until he prompted her too; telling her that he had no plans over moving from his seat until she had finished what was on her plate.

Her teeth clenched together at how his words made her feel as if she was a child being told to finish their vegetables. She wasn't a child, though; she was a fourteen, almost fifteen, year old girl; a teenager. She didn't need him acting as if she couldn't do a damn thing without him telling her to. If she didn't want to eat, she didn't have to.

However, before she could tell him that she wasn't hungry, her stomach, empty as she hadn't eaten since the snack she had at the Potters before she arrived home yesterday, growled its protest against her want to not eat. _Traitor_ she thought to it as she gave in, eating with reluctance. He waited for her to finish before standing up, taking her plate and fork with his to the sink where the other dishes sat.

He walked back towards her, holding out his hand for hers. A look of distain crossed her face as she stood up on her own, and moved to walk past him. An angry look crossed his face as he grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her along behind him. She stumbled, having not expected the movement, and tried to wench her arm free as he pulled her up the stairs.

Not knowing where they were going, she was slightly surprised when they passed her room, heading for one that was further down the hall; he was taking her to his room. Panic bubbled in her; was he going to rape her?

"No," she said yanking her arm away from him harder. She felt his grip slip a few inches down her arm, coming to a stop around her wrist. He sighed, turning towards her and yanking her toward him, picking her up into his arms. He continued his journey to his room, ignoring her struggling.

He didn't put her down until they entered his room, which was more like three rooms with a bathroom attached. The room they entered was styled as a sitting room, with a love seat and sectional sofa set adjacent to each other, a coffee table between them, all set within the middle of the room. Two closed doors, on opposite sides of the room, could be seen as a thick curtain was held opened to allow light to enter the room.

"Sit," he told her, though he really didn't give her a chance to follow that order, having grabbed her arm to lead her over to the love seat. Pushing her into the seat, he sat next to her.

"Now, I believe that it's time to talk," he said. Hermione, having realized that he didn't plan on raping her – though she didn't see the purpose of having to come into his room to speak – got her courage back up.

"Obviously, we do," she snapped at him, glaring. Another slap was her reward, though it wasn't as harsh as his earlier ones. She bit her lip to keep from shouting out at him, as well as to keep the tears that wanted to fall once more. He had hit the same cheek as he had earlier, which was feeling tender after having some time pass so that the numbness that had been there had faded.

"I suggest you listen to me right now before you go running off your mouth," he told her, his face stern before it softened. He brought his hand up, tangling it in her hair.

"But first," he murmured softly, pulling her closer to him, "I forgot to get a good morning kiss."

His lips touched hers softly before he applied pressure, pulling her into him more as he did so. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, and she sat as still as possible as he swept all over her mouth. She wanted to bite down again, but the last time she had done that had resulted in harm towards her.

He carried on like this for about a minute before pulling away, releasing head from his grip. She immediately put as much distance as she could between them, though it wasn't much, as her back hit the arm of the loveseat. Besides, he wasn't letting much room stay between them moving closer with every move she made away from him.

He continued to move until she was trapped between him and the arm of the loveseat. Leaning into her, he said, "Now that I've gotten my morning kiss, time for our talk. Well, actually, I supposed that it's more of a 'what the rules are' conversation that we're about to have rather than an actual talk."

She frowned, but kept her mouth shut, more out of curiosity than fear of being hit again. She was curious at to what his 'rules' were.

"Smart girl," he murmured quietly, almost too quietly, as if he didn't want her hearing what he said. He cleared his throat, finally giving her room to breathe as he stood up. Moving in front of her, he waited until she was looking at him before continuing.

"Okay, I guess the first thing to say, since I'm sure you will notice sooner or later, is that my cell phone is the only phone in the house as of now," he said. _Shit_ Hermione thought, surprising herself. She usually didn't curse, whether out loud, or to herself. She knew plenty of words – Ron really didn't censor himself around anyone, save for his family – but she herself had never felt the need, and she always hated when he cursed.

"Now, I'm not saying that you can't talk to your friend Ginny, but you can' only do that when I say you can use my phone. Do not try to find and steal my phone, or you will be punished. You will have to ask to use it if you really want to use it, and I will either say yes or no."

She started shaking her head without even realizing it. Between the fact that he was basically isolating her from everyone else, and expecting her not to talk to Harry or Ron – he might not have said it out loud, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to be okay with her talking to any male other than him. That also meant, of course, that talking to Daniel, and telling him that I couldn't make the date because of my suddenly psycho step-brother decided I belonged to him. _Oh God, he's going to think I stood him up, and then I'll never have this chance again_ she thought.

"And, just so you know, if I do say that you can," he continued, and she noticed that the way he said that sounded as if he wasn't going to let her use it so often, "you will have to stay in the same room as I am. Don't want you trying to cause trouble when there isn't any."

_When there isn't any_ she mouthed to herself, though she meant to say them out loud. He noticed, though his eyes had previously been looking behind him, as he had turned from her to look outside.

"What was that?" he asked her, his voice deceptively calm. In truth, he was slightly angry that she had disagreed with something he had said. It was slightly obvious that she did so; you don't mouth something and not mean it, especially when your face holds a disbelieving look on it.

Hermione, sensing the danger of what her answer may bring, couldn't help the shiver that came over her. She wasn't sure that it was healthy, the fact that she could switch from being angered at him, hating him, to feeling fear of him, fear of what he would do. The fear she felt towards him robbed her of any courage she may have had.

"I said, what was that?" he asked her again, leaning down until his face was less than an inch away from hers.

"N-n-nothing," she stuttered, cursing at the fact that she hadn't been able to stop the fear in her voice. A small cry left her when he roughly grabbed her hair and yanked.

"Rule number two: Don't ever lie to me. If I ask you something, you tell me the truth to the question," he stated. "Oh, and rule number three: if I ask a question, will answer it. I don't care if you don't want to answer it, you."

He punctuated this by another slap, one that was hard enough that her head would have snapped to the side had he not been holding her head in place by her hair.

"Now, are you going to tell me what I want to know, or do you need to be punished again?" he asked. "Oh, and please note that your punishment won't be the same as last time."

_He didn't need to say that_ she thought. Just the thought of being punished again had been enough to make her stubbornness crumble. Now knowing that he would do something that would most likely hurt even more than spanking her, she was now terrified of what he planned on doing.

"I…I…I was commenting on the fact that you…you said that there wasn't any trouble, so that I shouldn't go causing it," she stuttered out, tears sliding down her cheeks. She knew that her face was showing her fear to him, but she honestly didn't care at the moment. He was scaring her, and her fear was consuming her. She had a feeling she would be ashamed of herself later, but, right now, all she wanted was to for him to not be angry.

"And why were you commenting on that?" he asked.

"I-I-I c-can't r-remember," she said, stuttering again. She wasn't lying; she couldn't remember what she had been thinking at the time, her mind too clouded with fear to do so. It must have been obvious on her face that she wasn't lying, because he released her without a comment.

"Alright then. Where were we," he muttered, moving back to where he had been standing prior to his questioning her. "Oh yes, we had just gone over the first three rules, and are now moving onto the rule number four. Never try to leave. I know that it's what you were trying to do this earlier – don't lie to me next time – and, let be real, your not going to get very far without hurting yourself. I would prefer that you not get seriously hurt while here."

She nodded her head, though she still looked frightened, afraid that he would do something in retaliation for her attempt this morning. He seemed to sense that, for he then said, "I won't punish you for this morning. Though you should have guessed, you didn't know this rule at the time, and I don't see the worth in punishing you for something you didn't know.

"Anyways, onto the final rule that you have to follow. It's a simple rule, really, so you shouldn't have any trouble breaking it."

He walked back over to her then, getting into her face once more. She swallowed harshly, unable to take her eyes off of his. He looked serious, and something told her that this was the one rule she was going to hate the most, the one that, even if she tried not too, she had a feeling she would break.

"You are to never, ever deny me what I want from you," he said, and she shook, unable to stop herself. "I do not want to hear the word 'no' coming from your mouth if I want something from you. I am demanding your complete and total obedience from now on. Understand?"

She nodded, and he looked over her with a rather cold look in his eyes before he gave her a quick smile.

"Okay, that's all now. You can go unpack your stuff now. I know you haven't had time to do so yet, having fallen asleep early last night," he stated, moving away from her. Hermione wasted no time in running from his room to hers, slamming her door behind her. She turned and leaned her back against it before sliding down towards the ground, where she finally allowed herself to break down entirely.

* * *

Draco couldn't lie to himself as he watched Hermione practically run out of his room: he liked how she fear him. The knowledge that she feared him so much that it robbed her of the courage he could see, simmering deep in her soul, was intoxicating to him. It also meant that he had a weapon to use against her, something he had done several times that day, though he had to use some persuasion as well.

Like when he first saw her, trying to leave. As he had told her, he knew that what she had been trying to do. It was partially why he had smacked her around, though most of it was because of her refusal to answer his question. He really didn't like the fact that he had to hurt her some more – he had checked in on her during the night after she had fallen asleep to check and make sure that the damage wasn't too bad – but, if that's what it took for her to do as he told her, he would do it.

He wasn't kidding when he told her that he expected her complete obedience.

Sighing, he walked into his bathroom, stripping his clothes to take a shower. He hadn't done so earlier, having been busy setting things up.

After realizing that she had fallen asleep, he had left, driving to the closest Wal-Mart, where he had bought new door locks and food, two things that were definitely needed more than anything. The only other things he wanted to get, he couldn't get there. He figured he would either order them online or drive to where he could during the hours they were opened.

Upon returning home, he had installed the new locks on the front door, the back door, Hermione's bedroom and bathroom doors, and his own rooms' doors. They were the only doors in the place that needed new locks. He hid the spare keys to the door locks, and placed the others on the same chain that held his car keys, which he then placed in the garage, on a hook to high for Hermione to reach without the help of a chair or stepladder.

Then, he had gone through the place, and gotten rid of all the phones, hiding them in the shed. He didn't want her to try and call someone to tell them that he had kidnapped her, though, as he guardian, he hadn't. He did have the legal right to take her with him, as she was a minor, though he hadn't exercised that right quite yet.

Once that was done, he put away the groceries, glad that he had put everything cold away before he started on the locks, as it had taken him more time than he had realized. He had only gone to sleep after he had all the food put up. He slept until he heard the shower that Hermione was running. He had gotten up then, heading down to the kitchen, planning on starting food until another thought occurred to him, leading him to rearrange the way the table was set.

When he heard her coming downstairs, he had begun walking there, only to notice her trying to leave. Anger had burned through him, making him lash out at her with the way he used her fear to his advantage, and then hitting her. He cheek had been pinker than it's natural color because of his actions, and he had a moments feeling of pity for her before he squashed it down. Being soft around her could come later, once she was obedient.

Hitting her during their talk earlier, however, hadn't caused any pity in him. Instead, he reveled in the way her cheek had turned to a dark pink at his touch, in the way her eyes looked at him with fear.

His 'rules' had been a 'just thought of them' sort of thing, save for his do not leave and phone rule. In truth, the first was the only one he cared about her following, but the latter, well, when he realized that he had his phone on him – he hadn't really thought about bringing it with him – he figured he may as well let he know that he had it, and that using it without permission would result in trouble.

The 'answer every question I ask, and answer them truthfully' rules had come to him after she had refused to speak, and then tried lying to him once again. He realized that those rules were needed.

The final rule, though, had only come to him after he realized that it was what he wanted, looking at her while she trembled, almost unnoticeably, on the loveseat. He wanted her obedience, and he was determined to get it. Of course, he knew that, though she had said she understood what he was saying, she wasn't gong to just go along with it.

While the first three rules would most likely be followed without problem, he knew that she would most likely try to leave. It wasn't in her nature not to allow herself to stay trapped in a place if she didn't want to be without attempting to leave until she couldn't do so anymore. If he was honest, he was looking forward to breaking her enough so that she didn't try leaving.

And he knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn't just hand her obedience over to him, that she would fight against him, telling him no and attempting to deny him what he wants. He didn't care if she said no; he would subdue her if she fought. And he knew that he would enjoy doing that as well.

He just wondered how long he would have before he no longer had to worry about her fighting him.

* * *

**Lesson # 1**

* * *

_Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot_ Hermione berated herself repeatedly. Now that she was away from Draco and her fear had begun to subside, she was having trouble believing just how submissive she acted around him. I mean, sure, he had basically kidnapped her and was holding her hostage, and, sure, he obviously wasn't above using violence to get her to do what he wanted, but still…

Sighing, she allowed herself to fall backwards, hitting and bouncing on her bed a bit before she settled. Readjusting herself and pulling her legs up to wrap her arms around them, she curled up into a ball, shaking horribly as she remembered the fear she felt in Draco's presence.

Even here in her room with him nowhere in sight, just the memory was enough to send her body into uncontrollable shivers.

Trying to get herself under control, she finally decided that she needed to do something to distract herself. Spying the bags of things that he had packed for her, she realized that it would probably be a good idea to put the stuff away. It might only give her hands something to do, not her mind, but at least it was something to do.

As she unpacked the bags, she did her best to think of something else other than her situation. Her thoughts turned towards her friends, and she couldn't help but groan out loud as she realized that Ginny would be upset with her. As trivial as it was, Hermione had been on the receiving end of Ginny's anger before, and never wanted to be the object of Ginny's anger again. Just one time had her scared, despite the fact that the other girl was younger than she was.

Just the reminder of Ginny's anger brought forth images and memories of Harry and Ron, and all of the times she had seen Ginny go off on them. Like the time Ron had insulted Hermione, calling her a know-it-all bookworm with no life. It was before they had become tentative friends, back when Ron felt that Hermione was trying to steal the spot as Harry's best friend, a completely ridiculous notion in her mind.

Unfortunately for him, Ginny, who was her second friend, after Harry, heard, and…well, Ron found himself in the hospital with a broken arm after being faced with the dragon-like anger of his sister. Even after he made friends with her, he always made sure to think twice before saying anything that might be an insult to Hermione…or anyone Ginny valued as a friend.

More memories flooded her mind then, all of them of different things that happened once she had started school. The many memories flowed through her mind as she placed her clothes on her dresser and hung her shirts. Several of them stuck out, like the memory of Harry asking a girl named Luna out on a date, which happened several months before her mother's and Lucius's death. Another memory that stuck in her mind was the one dance that she had gone to, only because her mother had begged her too. She had gone with Ron – something she always regretted, as it made him think she had some feeling for him – but, luckily, about an hour into the dance, Harry, who had gone with a girl name Cho, who ditched him to hang out with her friend's date, had unknowingly rescued her from Ron monotone presence. She had spent the rest of the evening dancing with Harry.

She was smiling as she finished unpacking, though it quickly faded as she realized that, though there had socks included in one of the bags, she hadn't run into any pairs of shoes. Dismay ran through her; she had been hoping that she would find at least something durable to cover her feet for when she managed to escape. And she would. Though he had expressly forbidden her to leave – and she hadn't attempted to fight him on the issue – she had no plans of actually obeying that rule.

She honestly didn't know when she would manage to do so, but she wasn't going to just sit around and allow Draco to do whatever it was that he wanted to do to her without a fight.

Hermione swallowed harshly as she realized that, while she didn't know why he wanted her there, why he was suddenly so possessive of her and felt the need to isolate her, but she had an idea of the reason. It was enough to make her sick. She was only fourteen for crying out loud, granted, she wouldn't be fourteen for much longer, but still…

The thoughts she was sure he had in mind for her made her cringe with disgust. The idea that he wanted her in a sexual way, that he wanted to…_do_ sexual things to her made bile rise to her throat. She swallowed it back, mostly due to the fact that she really didn't feel like throwing up, despite the fact that the situation called for it.

Instead, she forced herself to think of something else, and her mind turned to how she would escape from her step-brother. Obviously, she would have to be very careful, maybe wait a few days before attempting it. Something told her that he would be watching her for awhile, that he probably didn't trust her, so she would have to make sure that none of her actions hinted at what she would be planning.

Grabbing a notebook from her desk as the ideas in her head began to form into plans, she began to write them down. Most of what she wrote was repetitive, repeating the same steps over and over again, but with some differences between them. Once she had written all of her ideas and plans down, she looked them over, feeling glad that she was being a bit more productive, that she was still able to think and keep calm.

As she closed the notebook, a sudden thought occurred to her: what would she do if he saw this notebook? Would he wonder what she was using it for? Would he read it? Panicked, she thought of where she could put it that he wouldn't find it, whether he was looking for it or not. No idea came to mind; she had never kept a written record of anything private, whether it was here, or in her actual room, so she had no idea what the best and least likely to look place to put the notebook at.

Biting her lip, she decided to place it in-between the mattress and box spring for now. It wasn't really the ideal place – she feared that, if he looked, he would find it – but it was also a place out of the way, and not a place where he would accidently find it like putting it in the desk. Nor would he suddenly see it either, at least, not on accident. As useless as it was, she knew that any anger she was sure she would feel would be justified if he brought it and its contents up to her.

Straightening the bed up so that there was no sign of something having been hidden, she went to sit back down when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Freezing in place, she mentally thought _please pass my door, please just pass by my door._ Luck was not on her side, for she heard the footsteps stop right in front of her door, and saw the knob begin to turn. She backed up to the wall, pressing close to it as if wishing she could sink through it.

_Coward_ she thought to herself. The first thing she needed to add to her list of plans was that she needed to get over her fear of him. She couldn't put any of her plans into action if she was so afraid of him that all of her actions showed that she didn't want to be near him at all. He would be suspicious of her if she didn't control her actions.

With that thought in mind, she pushed herself way from the wall, steeling herself to hopefully show no fear, and waited or the door to open.

* * *

He could hear her moving around in her room as he slowly walked by her door for the sixth time since she had left his rooms. From the sounds of it, she was unpacking her things, and he felt a simultaneous feeling of happiness and disappointment run through him. Happiness because her unpacking meant that she saw that there was no point in believing she had a chance to escape, that she was excepting his control over her, however small this gesture was. His disappointment, however, also stemmed from the same fact, as it meant that he had lost a chance at fighting her into submission, as he had been looking forward to doing so. Just the idea of how he would get his point across…

Well, there was no use in lamenting over a lost idea. It was better that she was accepting of the fact that she wouldn't be leaving for awhile, if ever. Satisfied at what she was doing, he went back to his room, where he did his own unpacking, having been busy adding adjustments to the house the night before. He had been expecting her attempts to escape, and had updated the locks around the place, even adding new locks to some doors. The only rooms he had not done that to were to his suite and Hermione's room.

He didn't plan to allow himself to be taken off guard in any way, shape, or form.

Once he was done, he sat down on his bed, his eyes found the clock and he sighed. It was still a little too early for his liking, and he still had some things to do, but he honestly didn't care for that fact. He didn't like not having Hermione in his view at all times. And she was in her room, where he hadn't managed to make sure that she couldn't get out of…

With those thoughts in his mind, he quickly stood up, walking towards her room. He slowed down as he got near her door, listening hard to see if he could figure out what she was doing. It was silent in her room, and it took him all of his strength not to run and barge into the room. Instead, he reasoned with himself, telling himself that she was just being quiet. She must have heard his footsteps, and was waiting for him. It was that thought that allowed him to appear clam as he opened the door.

He felt relieved at the fact that his thought had been right, that she was just waiting for him, it being the reason that she was so silent. However, his relief was tarnished by her expression. It was a mixture of determination and defiance, with a hint of fear, if he looked hard enough.

He wanted to smirk. It seemed that she wasn't giving up quite yet. He could tell, see it in her eyes that she was going to fight, though through what method, he didn't know. If he was honest, he was looking forward to see what ideas she came up with. He had no plans of telling her about the extra security measures he'd put on the house. Telling her would take away the fun he would have when she discovered them herself.

"Time for lunch," he said, motioning for her to follow him. He half expected her to decline the opportunity of food, but her stomach growled out then, making it hard for her to say that she wasn't hungry. He had to hold back a chuckle as she marched passed him, as the defiance that showed on her face was laughable in his opinion.

* * *

Hermione walked straight towards the kitchen, her lips pursed together with displeasure. She had been planning on saying that she wasn't hungry when her stomach growled, immediately disproving what would have been her future statement. She was aware that he was right behind her, allowing her to lead so that he could keep an eye on her. She could feel his gaze on her, and did her best to convince herself that he was just looking at the back of her head, even if she wasn't being true to herself. It was better to lie to herself at the moment, else she might do something she'd end up regretting, like running straight for the door.

That would certainly make it harder for her to be able to successfully escape sooner rather than later.

She made it to the kitchen before he stopped her, guiding her to the seat she had sat in earlier. Frowning, she began to move ever so slightly towards another chair, but stopped when he shot her a quick glance that seemed to say 'do you really way to do that?' Something told her that she really shouldn't test him on this matter, so she sank back into the chair she was originally sitting in, an unintentional pout forming on her face.

He made lunch quickly, just as quickly as he had made breakfast, not bothering to make anything spectacular. Not that she really cared, but she kind of wished that he would ask her what she wanted to eat instead of just making something. She thought about voicing that thought, but changed her mind at the last second. She really didn't want to converse with him, and didn't know how to say what she wanted without there being a chance that he would take it in the wrong way.

So she ate what he made, ignoring him the best that she could as he sat where he did next to her. It worked, for the most part. Then, just as she was finishing her meal, he made a move.

Her body froze as his free hand came to rest on her thigh just above her knee. He didn't move it, just keeping it there, yet she still felt uncomfortable at the contact. When her body finally became unfrozen, she shrank away from him, hitting the corner of the wall in her haste to put distance between them. It did her no good, as he simply followed, but he didn't do anything but keep his hand where he had placed it. After a few minutes, Hermione realized that he wasn't going to move his hand away from her, and that he wasn't doing anything else put holding her knee, and slowly began relaxing.

After she was fully relaxed, he finally moved his hand away, and got up, letting her get up as well.

She walked back to her room after lunch, glad that he wasn't following her as she feared her would. However, he had stayed downstairs, only watching as she walked upstairs before disappearing to do whatever it was that he had stayed downstairs to do. She wasn't sure what she should do with her time, other than stay as far away from him as she could. The brief thought of trying to find the phone he mentioned crossed her mind, but she doubted that he would put it somewhere easy to find, and she didn't want to be caught trying to find it. She would wait a little longer before attempting to discover where he hid it.

The hours passed as she thought of how to relieve her boredom. She really wished that she had a book on hand, but most of the books were in the library, which was on the first floor, where Draco was at, and she really didn't want to run into him. So far, with the exception of this morning and lunch, he had left her alone. She hoped that he would continue to ignore her in this fashion, hoped that her earlier thoughts were just that, thoughts, and that he had some other, non-sexual reason for bringing her here, and calling her his.

It was these thoughts that helped her get through being near him when it was time to eat again, after she had stayed in her room, completely bored out of her mind with the lack of something to do. Dinner was a repeat of lunch, with the fact that, as she neared finishing eating, his hand suddenly came to rest on her knee. He chose the same location as he had chosen the first time, and, unlike the first time, it took her less time to unfreeze, move away, and then accept his touch. She finished her dinner, waited for him to allow her up, and went back to her room, where she stayed once more, bored until it was time for a shower and then bed.

And so the days passed in this fashion, though she was smart enough, after the third day, to realized that she didn't have to stay in her room, and ventured out into the library, staying there for most of the day, only leaving when it was time for lunch and dinner. She only realized her mistake in leaving her room unoccupied when she walked in and saw some changes made, such as the new locks on her windows, and a deadbolt on her door.

Anger coursed through her when she saw this. How dare he make it so that she couldn't open her windows or leave her room if he didn't want her to. She didn't need to attempt to open her door to know that was the reason for the deadbolt on it, the intent was clear.

Though it had only been three days since she'd been there, Hermione had to deal with his demands, and had done so without much complaint. She'd had to kiss him before she could eat breakfast, a chore that, while she still hated it, she performed without much fuss, figuring that it would be better to do so rather than attempt to fight what she knew would be a losing battle. As it was, since she didn't fight him as much, the kisses he gave her were much shorter than those given when she fought against him, so it was a much better option in her opinion.

Then, if the kissing wasn't bad enough, she had to endure him touching her knee, which, in of itself wasn't to bad, but it was his touch, not someone else's, and she still hated it, especially when his hand would, as it did that morning, beginning moving in a rubbing motion up her thigh and then back down to her knee. When he had done that this morning, she had flipped, grabbing his hand and removing it forcefully before she'd even thought about it.

He hadn't done anything though, other than scold her for doing so, and replacing his hand back on her knee, but now, seeing the new additions to her door and windows, she wondered if this was her punishment. It took her a few minutes, however, to realize that it probably wasn't. It seemed to impersonal, especially compared to the smacks she'd gotten as punishment, for it to be a retaliation for that morning.

Hermione, despite how mad she was, didn't go and confront him as she so wished to do. Instead, she decided to bring books up to her room, leaving less chance for him to do something else, like removing the door lock on the bathroom door, or suddenly deciding to put on a camera, something that she had noticed he had placed in the library, as if knowing that was where she would most likely head off to when she decided to leave her room.

However, with the exception of her third day there, the rest of the days that went by did so in a way that could almost convince Hermione that nothing had really changed. Only the fact that she was practically shut in the house, as well as her door and windows' new accessories, reminded her that things had. By the time a week had gone by, she no longer flinched away when his hand touch her knee, nor did she freak out upon the few times he rubbed her thigh, though she did stiffen.

By the time two weeks had passed, she didn't stiffen anymore. She had gotten used to his touch, a little to used to it, if she was honest. She expected it, now, and found it a bit odd the one time that he hadn't placed his hand on her knee. The odd feeling went away when he placed it there, a minute later than what she was used to.

And, something else that didn't change, was the fact that she usually only saw him around breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though she did catch glimpses of him whenever she went from her room and the library. The lack of seeing him made her think that her earlier thoughts were indeed wrong, that he didn't have anything sexual in mind, though she remained uneasy. Sometimes, his hand would come a little too close to her core, though he never actually touched her there.

So, when the forth week hit, having gotten used to the ' daily schedule' that they had somehow ended up following, she was surprised when, upon coming down for breakfast, he stopped her. Confused and hungry, she went to push passed him – though he hadn't allowed her to cook anything yet, she doubted that he would get real angry with her if she did make herself something to eat.

She was wrong in thinking that, for, when she went to move around him, his grasp tightened, and he began to drag her once more. At first, when he dragged her back the way she came, she thought her was bringing her back to her room, only to become nervous when he passed her door by. Then, she thought he was heading for his suite, and her confusion strengthened when he walked right by it. It was when he had her walk up the second set of stairs in the house, the ones that led to what had been her mother's and Lucius's floor, that she realized where he was bringing her. Her confusion morphed from wondering where she was being led to why she was being brought here.

The door that blocked the top floor off from the rest of the house was still closed, as she had imagined it to be, as it almost always was, yet Hermione could still remember how the room looked, as well as the bathroom, having played in the tub when she was younger. She watched as he opened the door, bracing herself for the pang of familiarity and sadness that she suspected the room to bring, as she hadn't been in there since their death.

Remembering what she was going to see, she was confused at first when he opened the door. Frowning, she looked around. This was not the same room from her memory. This room was different, darker than the one she remembered, and she couldn't help but feel a stab of pain run through her as the last, untainted memory of her mother proved to be non-existent. Even if she hadn't been planning to come upstairs anytime soon, the idea of the room that her mother had spent quite a bit of time working on, adding little touches of her upon every surface – from the carefully picked furniture, the sea blue and forest green sheets that made the bed, and the green walls – were now gone hurt just as much as when she was first told that her mother was gone.

She kept herself from feeling the pain by taking in the changes. No longer did blue and green dominate the room. Now, the walls were painted a dark red color that reminded her of blood. The blue and green marble carpet was no longer there, removed to show the dark, gleaming wood that it had been covering. She wondered how he had managed to remove that without her notice, only to remember that he had made a few trips to this house a few times in the first month after the accident. A black rug with intricate Celtic symbols in red thread laid on the floor as well, right at the foot of the bed.

The bedding matched the rug, black with red threading in intricate Celtic symbols, sheets that alternated between solid black and red, and the pillowcases being the same as the coverlet.

But those weren't the only changes made to the room, and the other ones had her confused once more, and more than fearful as her eyes slid over the chains bolted to the wall next to the bed. The door to the closet was closed right next to it, while the bathroom door was no longer there. Swallowing hard, she felt his hand leave her arm, and she turned, surprised to discover that he had pulled her into the room without her realizing it.

Hermione turned to glance behind her, surprised when she noticed that she had missed the addition of a new lock on the door, which he had just closed. She swallowed harshly when she noticed that it was the same type of lock that decorated her door, bringing back all the thoughts that had ran through her mind her first day trapped in this house to run in the forefront of her mind.

She backed away from him, but didn't get very far before he reached and grabbed her arm again, leading her towards the bed. He pushed her, making her fall onto it. She wanted to get up, even went to, but Draco sat down himself, grabbing her upper arms as she went to move.

"What's going on?" Hermione demanded. "Why won't you let me go?"

She struggled, trying to get him to let her arms go, but he simply increased the pressure he held them until it hurt.

"Hermione, stop," he said, waiting until she did before he did anything else. He didn't say anything else once she stopped, just released her arms. He grabbed her wrists, pulling them towards him. Confused once more, she didn't fight until she realized where he was leading her hands.

"No," she said, yanking her hands back. The loose grip he had on then tightened, and he pulled her back towards him, transferring her wrists to one hand so he could wrap his arm around her, and pulling her into his body. He released her wrists, and she immediately attempted to push at his chest, trying to get away from him. Several tears began to slide down her face as her efforts proved futile.

"Please, don't," she whispered, though she didn't stop trying to get away. She was aware of the fact that his other hand was undoing the button of his slacks. The sound of the zipper being pulled down seemed overly loud to her ears, and she refused to look down, knowing that she would see something she really didn't want to.

She kept yanking her hands away from him when he grabbed them, trying to bring the down to wrap around his member. Growing irritated at her lack of doing as he was trying to instruct her to, his free hand changed its course, going and grabbing he chin, gripping it harshly while forcing her too look at him.

"Hermione, stop," he commanded, his nails digging into her skin as he tried to get her to stop. Realizing that she had no hope of escaping, she stopped her struggling, though her tears still flowed.

"Now, I'm going to bring your hand to me, and you are going to do exactly as I show you and what I tell you, understand?" he said. She shook her head as best as she could when he released her chin, though it was a head shake that seemed to spell defeat rather than one of someone prepared to fight. She had been fighting for the last few minutes, and, unfortunately, instead of gaining progress, she just seemed to be tiring.

"It's okay, Hermione. I know that you haven't done this before," Draco said, misunderstanding why she was saying no. "That's why I'm going to show you what to do."

He took one of her hands, holding it firmly as he guided it to his semi-erect cock. She didn't fight this time, shuddering when her hand made contact with his member. He showed wrapped her hand around it, moving it up and down in a show of what he wanted her to do. Once he was sure she had the movement down, he let his hand fall away, allowing himself to enjoy the sensation of her hand.

Holding her tightly to him, he whispered into her ear.

"Go a bit faster, and squeeze lightly. Then, bring your other hand into play."

She did as he said almost mechanically, forcefully pushing her mind away from the act she was performing, and thinking of something else. It was the only way she could make herself do this without being sick. She doubted he would be very happy if she threw up on him. Even then, she still felt sick as she heard his moans and groans.

She added her other hand, as he had told her to, but was unsure of what to do other than what he already had her doing. Then, he showed her, his hand coming up once again to show her where he wanted it, which turned out to be on his ball sack. He had her fondle them, while increasing her speed on which she rubbed his member.

His moans increased as his hips began to unconsciously thrust in her hands. She paused for a second, only for him to tell her to continue. She did so, and noticed that he seemed to grow larger in her hands, and that she could feel the blood pulsing through the veins underneath her hand.

"Run your thumb over the head," he said, his statement punctured by a rather loud moan as she did what he asked. She encountered some sort of liquid – 'pre-cum, if she remembered correctly – that had built up on the tip, and she resisted the urge to look down to she what it was. Without thinking about it, she brought her entire hand upwards, allowing her palm to rub against the head so the liquid coated it before returning to his rod.

He gave his approval of the action with another loud moan.

She rubbed for a few more minutes, brushing her thumb up against his head a few more times before he stiffened, and his semen shot out, hitting her legs and hands, as well as covering her hands. She froze herself, unable to keep herself from thinking about what had just happened, barely able to keep from looking down. Instead, she brought her hands up, noting the white liquid - semen – that covered them. She rubbed her fingers together, thoughtless as she did so.

Then, before he could stop her, she headed towards the bathroom, turning on the sink, and washing her hands. She grabbed a washcloth, wetting it and cleaning her legs off, unable to stand the feel of the semen on any part of her body. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it back, shaking as she scrubbed at her legs furiously before doing the same to her wrists and getting rid of what drops had gotten onto her arm.

She had just cleaned off the rest of the semen when she saw his reflection in the mirror. He was covered, his pants back in place, so she didn't have to worry about seeing something she didn't want to, her teary eyes catching his in the mirror. She watched as his reflection became bigger the closer to the mirror he got, and he pulled the washcloth from her hands, turning her around so that she was facing him.

Pulling her out of the bathroom and back towards the bed, she panicked. Screaming and fighting against him, he had a hard time getting her back to the bed, which he had pulled the coverlet down on, leaving it folded at the end of the bed. After seeing her reaction to his cum when it shot out and covered her, he figured that it would be better if she didn't notice the fact that it had shot onto the coverlet as well.

It took a bit to wrestle her onto the mattress, holding her down with his body. She wasn't able to move much, having to move her head to the side so she could breathe, for it was her front pressed to the mattress, not her back as she would have expected. The fruitless struggles did nothing to help her, and she was finally forced to give up on them, his body covering hers quite efficiently.

Once she had stopped, and he was sure that she wouldn't start again, he moved himself away from her, sitting down and leaning against the headboard while picking her up and setting her into his lap. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. Looking up at his face, she saw that he was looking down at her, as if looking for something, what she didn't know, nor did she know if he found it, for he sighed just then, looking away from her as he contemplated something.

Then, his face turned back towards her, determination written all over it. She didn't have much warning before his lips crashed over hers, hungrily devouring hers. Shock went through her – the almost desperate way he kissed her was surprising, almost demanding all of her attention. She almost didn't notice the fact that his arms had moved until she felt his hand on the bare skin of her abdomen.

That was when his actions began making sense to her. Squealing, she began to struggle once more, only to have the arm that was still around her waist tightened its hold. Panicked, her own hands came up, grabbing at his wrist and trying to force it away from under her shirt. He finally released her lips, moving his down to her neck, where he began licking and sucking on the skin. Using the distraction of her insistence to remove the one hand, his other loosened from her waist, coming to the button of the jeans she wore.

She froze when she felt her jeans loosen as the button was undone. Whimpering, she clamped her legs shut together, removing one hand to stop his other hand. Releasing the skin in his mouth, he slowly drew his mouth upwards, lightly kissing the skin until he was at her ear.

"Hermione, don't fight me. If you don't fight, it can be very pleasurable," he whispered in her ear, enveloping the lobe in his mouth, and sucking lightly. He moved the hand that was under her shirt upwards, seemingly oblivious to her attempts to remove his hand from there, only stopping when the hand was cupping one of her breasts. Her body stiffened, and he stopped his movements, releasing her earlobe.

"Just relax, Hermione. Just relax."

He kissed his way back down to her neck while his hand manipulated her bra cup to get to her actual skin. Brushing his thumb across the nipple, he was pleasantly surprised when it pebbled at his touch, leading him to realize that she wasn't as unaffected as she most likely wished to be. This seemed to encourage him, for his hand immediately began to play with her nipple once more before moving to her other breast, giving it the same treatment.

A soft, almost hesitant moan fell from her lips when he allowed his one hand to venture down her pants, his fingers brushing against her over her panties. He continued his attention, moving from playing with one nipple to the other. He allowed his other hand to rub her core over her panties for a while before slipping under them, touching the bare skin. The wetness that showed proof of her arousal made him happy, knowing that, though she was protesting earlier, she had followed his advice. He easily parted her thighs so that he could play with her more fully.

However, in truth, Hermione hadn't really followed his advice of her own accord. Her body had made the decision for her, unable to keep for allowing what he was doing to affect her. The way his hand played with her breasts and fingers with her core was causing her blood to race in response to his actions. Even his mouth, which traced up and down her neck, sucking harshly at some spots, lightly at others, had a hand at the fire racing through her.

He slid a finger into her, causing her to stiffen for a second, but it didn't last. His finger stroked inside of her, causing the fire to burn hotter through her. A coil in her stomach seemed to tighten. Moans, unheld, felt from her lips, which he then covered with his own in another kiss.

Then, just as she thought the fire in her blood couldn't get any hotter, it felt as if an infernal exploded in her. Colors danced in front of her eyes, the coil in her stomach sprung apart, and she tightened her muscles around his finger, holding him there as she fell apart.

Once she was able to think for herself, she felt sick. She knew what had happened, having read about it in the same book that had told her what it was that had come from Draco when he 'released' after she had given him the impromptu hand job. She couldn't quite move her body yet, feeling drained, but she didn't want to stay in this bed.

Draco, seemingly unconcerned over her state of mind, slipped his finger out of her, bringing it up to his face. He inspected his hand, his other still casually lying on her breast where he had stilled it upon, keeping her against his body. He brought his finger up to his mouth, tasting her juices as he licked his finger clean.

Then, he let her go, surprised when she sprang up and ran to the door. He stood up and walked towards her, not at all in a hurry, but the fact that he had locked the door was probably the reason for it. She wasn't watching him, more concerned with getting the door opened than anything, just a bit too panicked to think rationally to of a reason as to why it wasn't opening.

She couldn't help the shriek that left her as his arms wrapped around her again, pulling her against his chest. Crying, she tried to unhook his hands from her, fighting against his hold as she did so, only giving up when he maneuvered himself it to where he had her hands locked at her waist, holding her as still as possible.

"Hermione," he said, speaking gently. He waited until he was sure that he had her attention before saying, "I know that you're slightly scared."

Here, Even Hermione could keep herself for letting out a snort and rolling her eyes at the understatement he uttered. The actions she did were enough to help her control her actions, fighting back the hysteria that had claimed her moments before. She listened to what he was saying, though, as he hadn't heard the snort she gave, she missed most of what he said. She made herself listen then.

" – and you really do need to keep calm next time, because this was just the first lesson."

* * *

**_Started the redo almsot two years ago. Only have the first chapter up on my AO3 account. I am working on the second chapter, though.  
_**

**_Strange Hearts_**


	7. Old Story VI

_**Story called The Beginning of Obsession. Was a prequel to old story Prom Night. Taken down because of writer's block, and not liking how it was going.**_

* * *

**Last Days of Summer**

* * *

Isabella Swan, Bella to all her friends, was dragged out of bed by her mother, Renee Swan. Groaning, she rubbed her sleep crusted eyes, mumbling something that went unheard. Once she was sure that she would be able to see, she turned to look at her clock, eyes widening as scoff of disbelief left her lips.

"MOM!" she yelled as she realized that it wasn't even six yet. It was way too early to be up, especially after the night she had. Plus, it was the last Friday of the summer before she had to go back to school, and she already had plans on how she wanted to spend it. She and Jessica were planning on going to a lake not far from where she lived for a last summer swim.

However, they were planning on going in the afternoon, not before dawn. Bella growled out in annoyance. Her mother already knew this, so why did she wake her up so early. Bella really wanted to know the answer to that question as she got out of bed, and walked to her bathroom. She already knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

Not would she not be able to fall back to sleep after such a rude awakening, but their really wasn't any point. Not only was it almost morning, but Renee would just walk right back in the room, and pull her out of bed again.

Taking a quick shower, Bella was fully awake by the time she got out. Wrapping a towel around her, she walked over to her closet and pulled out a dark blue quarter-sleeve, v-neck wrap shirt; black Tripp pants with dark blue threading, and a light, dark blue zip-up sweater; despite the fact that it was summer, Forks, Washington hardly ever had a temperature above seventy.

Grabbing a pair of black ankle socks and black sneakers, she walked down the stairs, being careful not to trip over anything. Making it to the bottom floor, she sat down, putting on her socks and shoes before heading into the kitchen, where she quickly grabbed a bowl and some cereal, and ate.

Renee entered room just as Bella was finishing up her food. Glaring at her mother, she said, "What was up with the before six wake-up?"

Renee ignored her as she grabbed a cup of coffee, and drank it. Glaring some more at Renee, Bella sighed before turning back to her breakfast, giving up on getting an answer out of her mother.

Once she finished, she headed outside, going straight for the car as her mother urged her to it. She bit her lip as she realized that she would need to get a hold of Jessica to let her know that she wouldn't be going to the lake with her. She glared at her mother, feeling like a regular teen for a moment before her mother's hair-brainedness returned, and she began to search for the keys that she had already put into the ignition. Bella couldn't help but smile as she leaned over and turned them, starting the car up with a loud rumble.

Renee jumped at the loud sound before she noticed the keys in the ignition before looking over at Bella, who was smiling at her. A laugh escaped her as she realized what must of happened.

"They were there the whole time, weren't they?" she asked, shaking her head as Bella nodded her head. Smiling at each other, Renee backed the car out of the driveway, and headed in the direction of Seattle. Bella let a small sigh as she texted to Jessica, letting her know that she wasn't going to be able to go swimming later.

* * *

They arrived at the Seattle mall several hours later. Being as early as they were, they were still unable to find a spot near the entrance itself, and instead had to go through a side entrance to enter.

"So, mom, why are we here?" Bella asked as hey headed inside. She immediately began heading toward the direction of her favorite stores, Hot Topic, Black Rose, Darque, Demonia, Heavy Red, Infectious Thread, Moon Maiden, and Fairy Goth Mother.

She could immediately tell that her mother wasn't comfortable heading in that direction, and Bella rolled her eyes. She never did appreciate the fact that her mother seemed so intent on changing her, but Bella knew that, while she might not be such a Goth or emo, she wasn't a wannabe who wore what everyone else seemed to think was the best clothing, such as anything from places such as Abercromie and American Eagle. She couldn't stand bright colors and things like that.

"Come on, Mom," she said, ignoring her mother's look of disgust at were her daughter was leading her

"But, wouldn't you like something brighter to wear, like that Yellow shirt?" her mother said. Bella took a glance in that direction and grimanced at the bright color.

"Only if I wanted to give everyone a headache, and was a sheep," she answered before turning back to her mother. "When will you get it into your head that I do not like bright colors, and that the clothes that I do like are in here."

Not even bothering to wait for an answer, she headed towards the first store in front of her, Hot Topic. Walking through the door, she headed towards her favorite section of the store, where the Gothic corsets and pretty skirts hung, as well as pairs several Tripp pants. Grabbing several of the things, she also grabbed some regular T-shirts.

Walking up to the counter, she rolled her eyes once again at her mother, who was standing there with a look of distaste on her face that caused several others to laugh. However, her mother did pay, which made Bella extremely happy as she went to her other favorite stores. She smiled at her mother as she studied the dresses in two of the stores; despite her mother's barely there tolerance for Gothic clothes, her mother did like the beautiful dresses that Fairy Goth Mother and Moon Maiden sold.

Grabbing some more clothes, they finally headed towards a different part of the mall for food.

"So, what prompt this shopping spree?" Bella asked as she began to eat the Chinese food that she had gotten. Her mother, eating a regular hamburger, took a while to answer.

"I just feel as if I haven't gotten enough time with you this summer. You were always out with your friends, and the fact that school was about to start again…well, I just thought that we could spend time together. You know, you used to like spending time with me before," Renee said. "Plus, I wanted to help out with the clothes shopping. Also, we still have a few things to pick up."

Bella groaned. Despite the fact that she liked Hot Topic and the other stores where she preferred to get her clothes, she didn't really care for shopping in general, unless it was for music and books. She only really got clothes as a necessity, not because she enjoyed it. Truth be told, when she was with her friends, she was mostly reading or listening to her kind of music and ignoring what was going on around her.

Of course, she did do some of the things that her friends did, but preferred to just do whatever she wanted. She was only thankful that her friends understood her need to read and stuff, and didn't bother her unless it was urgent.

"I am not going to get even more clothes. I think we bought enough," she said, giving a side glance to the bags near her feet. Renee chuckled.

"I had a feeling you would say that, so I was going to suggest that we go to the music and book store. I'm pretty sure that you can find something else you like that you haven't bought from either," she said, mock glaring at Bella. Bella just smiled, glad to hear that, and quickly finished her food, eager to get to the book store.

She was unaware of the eyes that stared at her from behind.

* * *

Edward Masen sat several tables behind Bella, his eyes on the brunette beauty in front of him. His eyes had been on her since she had walked into the mall, having immediately drawing his attention to her. She was beautiful, more so than any woman he had ever seen. He wished he had known that he was going to run into this angel, for he would have made sure that he was prepared to meet her in person.

As it was, he wasn't able too. He didn't really look presentable, for one, and – if he had heard correctly – the other woman with her was her mother; he didn't really want to meet a mother right away. He knew that his best chances with her would be to meet her without a mother, so that they could get to know each other.

So, instead, he settled on following her, hoping that he would have such a chance.

* * *

Bella and her mother stopped in front of the two final stores they planned on visiting after making a trip to put the bags thaey had already accumulated into the car. Bella immediately went to go into the books shop, only to be stopped by Renee. She turned and looked at her mother, a look of curiosity on her face.

"I know you to well, Bella. If I let you go in there now, you'll be upset later because you didn't get to go into the music store," Renee explain as she handed Bella some cash. "Now, I'm going to go get something for me. Since I know that you will be able to wait for me when you hit the bookstore, I will meet you in there. Also, your father wanted me to tell you that you are allowed to get however many books you want; he got another raise that won't be used on a vacation – Lord knows he would never leave this town – and he told me to tell you that the money is to be used only on books."

Bella nodded her head before looking down at the cash that her mother had just handed her. She counted it as she headed into the store, eyes widening in surprise as she realized just how much there was. _Two-hundred, twenty dollars_ she thought, shock running through her. She turned back around, about to tell her mother about the mistake, but saw no one other than a man who was standing almost directly behind her, and heading in her direction.

Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she turned back around, heading towards her favorite section of the store. Like her taste in clothes, Bella had peculiar tastes in music; she preferred female-fronted bands with most being of the Gothic opera/metal genre. Her favorite bands were Nightwish, Evanescence, Within Temptation, Paramore, Epica, Tristania, After Forever, and Sirenia, just to name a few.

Of course, her taste didn't just run in one direction; while she preferred those, she also liked some of the early songs from Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Lita Ford, and Paula Abdul. Other favorites were HIM, Danny Elfman, Kelly Clarkson, Marilyn Manson, and Alexz Johnson. She also liked scores by John Williams, Carter Burwell, Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, Howard Shore, Debussy, and Iain Ballamy.

Browsing through the CDs, she came upon several that she didn't have yet, as well as the newest Epica CD, _Consign to Oblivion_, and HIM's newest CD, _Dark Light_. She immediately grabbed them, seeing as those copies was the last that the store had at the time; knowing her luck, if she didn't get it at that moment, she wouldn't get it for a while.

Keeping the seven CDs she had chosen, she started to walk around, stopping every few minutes to look at a CD that had caught her eye. Most, she put back onto the shelf, some – like Alanis Morrisette and Jem – she put with the other CDs she planned on buying. She also grabbed those of arists she liked, adding them to her pile until she had at least twelve CDs in her hand. She was glad that most of the CDs were very low priced.

Finally, she got to the score section of the store. Already knowing exactly which CDs she was going to get, she ignored all the others until she was standing in front of John Williams. Shifting the others to one hand, she flipped through the others, praying that she would find the exact CD she was looking for, cheering inwardly when she did so.

With the thirteen CDs in hand, she started looking at the other CDs, only to freeze as she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Turning around, she noticed that the man who had been heading into the store earlier was looking at her. She bit her lip as she turned back to the CDs, her heart pounding.

She could still feel someone's eyes on her, and snapped her head back towards the guy, only to discover that he was staring intently at a CD in his hand, only to replace it with a shake of his head while he grabbed another. Confusion entered her as she went back to the CDs. She could have sworn that she had felt someone looking at her; in fact, she could have sworn that she had seen him doing so, and yet…

She watched him for a minute, this time taking him in. She noticed that he was rather weird looking, with almost no hair, though his green eyes were rather nice on his face. He didn't look as if he had shaved in a while, the stubble noticeable on his face. He also looked as if he had just grabbed whatever and thrown it on.

She stared at him for awhile before she realized that she was staring, though she noticed him frown at the CD he had just grabbed.

Signing while shaking her head, she figured that she hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before and returned to the CDs. Biting her lips as she felt the eyes on her again, she looked around, this time seeing nothing, not even the guy from before. Turning back to the CDs, the feeling of being watched returned almost immediately.

Giving up on looking for another CD, she went over to the register, getting in line right behind the guy as she waited for the cashier to finish ringing up his purchase.

It didn't take long, and she was paying and leaving before she knew it, walking over to the book store. She prowled the shelves, grabbing books left and right. She mostly stuck to her favorites, though she did grab ones that she hadn't shown interest in before. The majority of the books she grabbed were mystery, fantasy, and historical and paranormal romances.

So caught up in the books, Bella didn't realize that they same guy from the music store had followed her in, nor did she realize that he was watching her once again.

* * *

Edward sighed as he saw her start to enter the music store. He walked forward, almost stopping when he notice her turn around. However, he kept himself from doing so, acting as if he was just another customer heading to buy something from there, and she turned and entered before he was within two feet of her.

He followed her through the store, keeping enough distance that she wouldn't realize that he was there. He was almost successful until it came to the 'Soundtrack/Classical' section of the store, where he had accidentally gotten close enough that she was able to feel his eyes on her. He was quick in hiding the fact that he was watching her by grabbing the first CD he could, which turned out to be a bad choice.

Shaking his head, he grabbed another while putting that one back, feeling her eyes on him as he did so. It took all he had not to look at her. Despite how much he wanted to do so, he had a feeling that she would realize that he had been watching her before, and – in truth – he wasn't sure how she would feel about that. So, instead, he studied the new CD that he had just picked up, unable to stop the frown that crossed his face as he realized what it was.

Putting the CD back, he grabbed another one, pleased to find that it was definitely better than the first two he had grabbed. Realizing that she was no longer watching him, he headed towards the cashier, standing in line behind the only other person waiting before he turned back towards her as to keep her from noticing him this time.

Unfortunately, she seemed to be waiting for this, for she immediately looked around her, though he noticed that she couldn't see him. In light of this information, he continued to look at her, stopping when he noticed her heading in his direction. He turned back towards the front, walking up to the cashier as the guy in front of him finished.

He could feel her presence behind him, and once again, he had to stop himself from making a fool out of himself. He hurried to pay for the CD before walking out of the store, hiding behind a vendor to see where she would go next. He almost sniggered as she just walked into the store right next to it.

This time, he kept in mind not to get so close to her as he watched her. He stayed back far enough that he would be able to duck out of the way before she could see, though – unlike the music store – she became so into the books around her that she seemed not to notice anything out of the ordinary.

He stayed there for the rest of the time she was, only hiding once more when her mother arrived, carrying several bags of clothes. That was when he left, having a feeling that her mother would realized what she herself hadn't. He walked to his car, tossing the CD he had gotten onto the passenger seat before driving home.

That night, all he could think about was the girl he had seen and followed. He hoped that he would see her again, and soon. Maybe he would get the chance to ask her out the next time he saw her.

Not once did it go through his mind of how stalkerish he was acting.

* * *

As Renee had predicted, her and Bella left the book store loaded down with more books than they had ever gotten in one trip. Having been given no limit had allowed Bella to do something that she hardly ever done before; it freed her to get whatever books she wanted. Renee had turned the other way when she had seen some of her daughter choices, knowing that Bella was much more mature than many other fourteen year olds.

"So, was it that bad to spend the day with me?" Renee said as they loaded the rest of the bags into the car. Bella shook her head no, her mind still absorbed by one of the books she had gotten. Though she had heard of it and seen several versions of the movie, she had been very surprised to find a rather beaten copy of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. She was anxious to get started on it, wanting to see how different it was from all the movies she had seen.

She had also surprised herself by grabbing several knew mystery novels that she never thought she would. She had grabbed most of the novels by Laura Childs, as well as Stuart Pawson and Sue Grafton. She hoped that she had made a good choice as she pawed through the bags, looking for _Phantom_.

"What are you looking for?" Renee asked, only to get her answer as Bella uncovered the book. Renee shook her head.

"Am I to assume that is the book which you are going to be finished with by Sunday?" Renee asked as she and Bella tilted her head at her mother as she raised her eyebrow in a way that seemed to say 'What do you think?' Renee chuckled as her daughter gave her that look. It was one that she was familiar with, for Bella gave it to her quite a bit.

"I take that as a yes," she said as she got into the car. Bella was about to follow when she suddenly remember about the new CDs she had gotten. Quickly getting out of the car, she opened the trunk again and grabbing the single bag full of music. She brought it to the front seat, and opened it, quickly find the Epica and HIM CD. Holding them both up to her mother, she allowed Renee to choose one.

Renee sighed, not caring much for the choices, but chose one, knowing that Bella didn't want to listen to anything other than one of the two. She pointed at the HIM one, remembering that it was a boy singer and a not a female one, so she would be safe from getting a headache.

Bella was quick in putting the CD in, and she listened to it with a reverence that she normally gave only to her books as she memorized the lyrics.

* * *

Bella had gone through two and a half CDs by the time they arrived home. Grabbing as many of the bags as she could – which was most of them – she carefully made her way into the house, taking them all up to her room. Eric, her little brother, peaked his head out of his room only to roll his eyes before retreating back.

Renee followed with the rest, though she only stopped at Bella's room to put down all the bags that belonged to her before heading towards her own room with her stuff. Bella was quick in putting everything away before she sat down onto her bed, _Phantom_ in hand. Settling down, she opened the book, and began to read.

When Renee came to check on her three hours later, she was asleep.

* * *

**First Day of School – or Realization**

* * *

Two days later, Bella was once again woken up early, only this time there was no fight. She already knew why she was being woken up; the loud alarm clock declaring that it was six-fifteen told her all she needed to know. Biting her lip, she blindly reached out a hand, smacking it down on the annoying clock to silence it as she got up out of bed, stretching once she had shut the alarm up.

Rubbing her eyes, she shivered as she pushed the blankets off of her and her feet touched the cold floor. Standing up all the way, she walked over to the closet, yawning as she did so.

Taking a quick look out her window to see what the weather was like, she grabbed a pair of black Tripp pants with red stitching, a black Bustier Top that was skin tight, and a black zip-up hoodie.

Walking over to her dresser, she pulled out her undergarments as well as a pair of knee-high socks before throwing everything on. She grabbed her brush, wincing as she brushed all the knots out before throwing her waist-length hair into a bun, forsaking using a scrunchy, as her hair was long enough to stay in a bun without falling out quickly.

Once she was sure she liked the what she was wearing, she grabbed her platform boots and her Nightmare Before Christmas messenger bag before closing the door behind her, hurrying down the steps. Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed a bowl and the cereal, pouring herself some before eating her breakfast.

Her mom walked into the room, still looking a bit blurry eyed as she walked over to the coffee that was already made, courtesy of her father. She poured some into a cup before taking a long gulp of it, shuddering at the bitter taste. However, it woke her up a bit more, and she turned to Bella after setting the cup down.

"Ready to go," she asked. Bella nodded her head, grabbing her bag as she stood up. She ignored as her mother rolled her eyes upon finally seeing Bella's all black outfit, but she kept quite, pursing her lips instead as she grabbed the keys. They headed outside, Renee mumbling something how it was ungodly to be up this early in the morning. Bella kept herself from snickering at her mother, knowing that she would be making plans to get a ride from her friends soon enough – Renee wouldn't be able to handle getting up so early five days a week, she never was.

It wasn't a long trip to the high school, and Bella eagerly jumped out of the car, having already spotted her best friends, Jessica, Mike, and Lauren.

"Bye, mom," she said over her shoulder, turning and hurrying towards the three standing at the door, waiting for her.

"Bella," Lauren called when she spotted her. Bella waved her hand at her as she hurried up to the steps, and stood in front of her friend. With shoulder length blond hair and rather icy blue eyes, most people would believe Lauren was part of the popular group, as the queen bee and head cheerleader, to be exact.

They couldn't be any more wrong, though, for Lauren – while she could be a bitch – was the furthest thing from being that typical stereotype. Usually decked out in skimpy corsets and long skirts or pants, Lauren couldn't stand the preppy clothes her mother always bought her without fail. Lina Mallory – Lauren's mother – had been the queen bee of the school, as well as head cheerleader and prom queen, and had wanted her daughter to follow in her shallow steps.

Lina had been more than disappointed when Lauren actually showed that she wasn't a mindless drobe; she had been downright furious, but hadn't been able to do anything about it except refuse to buy Lauren anything that she really liked. It was a well known fact that Lauren had two closets at her house, one filled with shit that her mother had bought, and the other filled with things she herself and her friends had gotten her, aka, the things that she would actually wear.

Today, for the first day of school, Lauren was wearing a purple corset with black laces on the back, black and purple arm warmers, a pair of black Tripp pants, and an unzipped sweater. Bella could see the heels of her ankle boots peeking out from under the hem of her pant legs.

Mike just waved, looking way too tired to even be considered awake. Dressed in a pair of Tripp pants and a black, form fitting T-shirt, he was leaning against the wall, his eyes drooping closed with each passing second.

"Bout time you got here," Jessica said, her usually smile on her face. The perkiest of the four, Jessica was usually wearing something that was brighter than what Bella and Lauren would wear. Today, she had on a jade sequined top over a light green camisole, and a pair of dark green cotton pants. She wore regular sneakers with the ensemble.

"It's not that late," Bella complained, though the smile on her face showed that she was just pretending to do so. Rolling there eyes, her friends headed towards the auditorium, aware that it was were they would be getting their class schedules for the first half of the year. They followed the stream of others who were also heading in that direction.

Finding that they had to sit with the rest of their class, they found the freshman section of the auditorium. Once seated, Bella and Lauren, leaving Mike and Jessica to there little game of flirting with each other, scanned the crowds and teachers that had entered, trying to discover if they would be getting anyone new to the town that year.

It was Lauren who spotted him first.

"Wow, there's actually someone new here," she said, motioning towards the man she had just spotted. Bella followed her view, eyes widening as she recognized him.

"Hey, that's the guy I saw at the music store Friday," she commented, frowning slightly. While he looked a bit more put together, he still had stubble on his chin, even more noticeable than it had been Friday, looking like the beginning of a beard. His hair was a bit longer now as well, though not my much.

However, her mind wasn't really focused on his looks. Instead, it was stuck on her memory of him when they had been at the mall. While she hadn't gone up to him, she did find it rather weird that she had felt eyes on her, and the man closest to her that could have been looking at her was now a teacher. Maybe, he had been looking at her, recognizing who she was…

She immediately shook the thought from her head. That was ridiculous. Even if he knew who her father was, there really was no way to know who she was exactly; she didn't care much for having her picture in the newspaper, nor did she care for the fact that she had to have her picture taken in general – she preferred to remain anonymous when it came to non-school related things.

Instead of dwelling on it anymore, she decided to turn her mind back to her friends, who had began conversing while she was lost in lala land, not noticing that the new teacher had caught sight of her.

* * *

Edward felt like letting his jaw drop when he noticed Bella. It took all of five point two seconds to realize several things: one, she was a high school student, which meant that she was off limit; two, she was a freshman, which meant she was off limit for another four years; and three…well, there wasn't a third reason, just those two.

Though, as he thought about it, the fact that there was a good chance that the age difference between them would be too great for them to be together did cross his mind, he immediately erased that thought. And it never occurred to him that she may not even want to be with him.

So, there he sat, waiting for the assembly to start, and staring at his dream girl, who was sitting in the freshman section. He had to admit that, at that moment, life sucked royally.

* * *

Bella was slightly aware of the fact that the guy who they she suspected to be a new teacher – it was town knowledge that teachers were usually the only new people who came to Forks. It was the only job that was almost opened every year. Bella was aware that the longest any teacher had stayed in the town of Forks was three years, and that was it.

So, as Bella figured, the guy was a new teacher, and she was vaguely curious to know which class he taught. She was about to ask Lauren, who was the person to ask when you wanted information, when Jessica suddenly hissed, "Damn, I thought they would keep trash out."

All of them looked over to where Jessica was looking to discover Tanya Denali, their enemy, walking into the place. Strawberry blonde, slim, and preppy, Tanya was the one person that had made Bella's, Jessica's, and later on, Lauren's lives a living hell since she arrive, back in elementary school.

It took two minutes after Tanya had arrived for the principal to step up to the podium, and begin speaking. Bella shared the simultaneous sigh that Lauren, Mike, and Jessica all ushered. Like any other teenager in the world, listening to an adult speak about things that they already knew was the last thing they wanted to do.

* * *

It took the principal two hours to get through everything that he deemed important – in reality, he could have had it done within thirty minutes. The rest of what he said wasn't even school related – unless knowing about his personal life with his daughter was something that was need to know, other than the fact that said daughter was school president.

Anyways, once he was done, Bella and had to wait a few more minutes before they were able to move to the lines that were forming so they could get their schedules. It didn't take long before they could get up, and Bella found herself standing in the line O – U with Jessica behind her.

The line progressed slowly, but it was still a bit faster than the other lines, and soon, Bella was the next person. She felt her throat go a bit dry when she realized that it was the new teacher, Mr. Masen, in front of her. For some odd reason, he was sending shivers down her spine, and not the good kind; she felt as if he would attack her at any moment.

She mentally shook herself, knowing that what she was feeling was just paranoia. He was just a teacher, there was no reason why she should feel uncomfortable, so she pushed the dark feeling aside in her mind as she told him her name. She knew she was just imagining the fact that his eyes had looked at her in an inappropriate way.

Quickly grabbing her schedule, she moved away, meeting up with Lauren and Mike, Jessica right behind her. She felt a familiar feel of eyes on her, and quickly looked behind her, discovering no one watching her. Shaking her head, she continued walking towards her friends, trying to ignore the paranoia that was once again coming over her.

"Hey, what classes do you have?" she asked the others, trying hard not to show that something might be wrong. Luckily, other than a concerned look from Jessica, the others didn't really notice, and they were quick in comparing schedules, finding out that they only have three classes that all four of them would be in together – Biology and PE. However, they weren't really saddened by that fact, as, even though they didn't have the same classes, they never had a class that didn't have one of the others in it.

* * *

The day seemed to past rather quickly for them, and, finally, it was their last class. Bella and Jessica were the first to reach the biology room, and entered. It only took them a second to notice that their teacher was the newest addition to the teaching staff at the school. Mr. Masen treated them with a nice, calm smile, and they gave him one back as they said hello, though Bella felt a shiver travel through her over his lingering gaze, which was fixed on her.

She thought she saw something else other than friendliness, calm, and good intentions in it. However, a second look revealed nothing else, and he was already greeting the next few students to walk into the room. Shaking her head, she walked over to the first available seat near Jessica, sitting behind her while Lauren and Mike joined them.

Pulling out a notebook, she positioned herself so that she would be ready for whatever he would throw there way.

* * *

The one class he has with her ends faster than he would like. He has to admit that he is surprised at how well he hid the fact that he wanted her. He never got a single look of suspicion in his direction. He must have been a better actor than he thought he was. He let the class go when the bell rang, and immediately began packing up his things.

He drove himself home, sitting down with a notebook in front of him. It was his journal. He always wrote things down in it, no matter what they were. However, he had to admit that, ever since he first saw her – _Bella_, he reminded himself – his journal had become rather filled with dreams about her.

Opening up to a fresh page, he wrote down what happened today. It only took him several minutes to write it all down, ending with how he wished she wasn't a student.

Once done with that, he started to think. About how she had acted in class. She was nice, and it also seemed that she was smart, if she was in his advance class. Of course, he really couldn't judge that until he actually saw her work. He sighed, looking around his house, and he suddenly found himself wishing he had a picture of her.

That thought sparked an idea in her. Perhaps he could get a picture of her. He jumped out of his seat, and ran upstairs, by-passing his room to get to the spare room, where he held all of his books and other things. Making his way through the room, he reached one of the boxes that he had yet to unpack, and opened it, riffling through it.

It only took him a second to find what it was that he was looking for. Two digital cameras, both modified to do whatever it was he may want, and silently. He smiled as he walked over to his bag after checking to make sure that they had fresh batteries, and that the digital camera had an empty memory card in it; he didn't want not to have any picture taken because it was full.

Smiling as he placed them into his bag to take them with him tomorrow, he went to bed, where he dreamt of Bella once more.

* * *

**Secret Admirer**

* * *

Almost month had passed since school had started, and Bella had easily gotten used to her demanding schedule. She also found herself enjoying most of her classes, especially English, Art, and Biology. Biology had to be her favorite, if she was honest. Despite her first impression of Mr. Masen, he was proving to be an excellent teacher, and managed to make a usually boring subject fun. In fact, the only thing that really bugged her was the fact that there were times when he seemed to look at her with longing, as if he was wishing for something that was impossible for him to have.

Of course, there was also the fact that she sometimes felt as if someone was watching and following her around, though she never seemed to find who it was. Yet, though she tried to put it out of her mind, she still continued to look around to see if she could find the mysterious watcher.

It was another Friday afternoon, and Bella's final class for the day had just let out. She quickly walked out of the room, feeling rather uncomfortable, as she usually was; Mr. Masen had spent the entire period looking at her longingly, which really didn't help her concentration on her test.

* * *

_**Will be rewriting it to be more like a one shot as opposed to full story -that's what I didn't like about it, how slow it was going to be making it a full story. I will not be making it like Out of Control, though.  
**_

_**Strange Hearts**_


	8. Old Story VII

_**Story was called Prom Night. Based on the 2008 movie. Taken down because it needed a lot of work done to it, and because I was doing the prequel, which I thought should be posted up first.**_

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

_Bella Swan sat in the back seat of her friend's Jessica's mother's car. They were dropping her off at her house after going to see a movie. They wanted to see the movie alone, but neither she nor Jessica were old enough to drive a car, nor could they just walk to the movie theatre. In their small town of Forks, were you could walk everywhere, there wasn't a movie theatre there, so you had to go to the next town to watch new movies._

_Bella wasn't feeling good; she was just recovering from a traumatic episode at school. One of the teachers she had trusted had tried to have a relationship with her, causing her parents to get him fired. It didn't stop him from getting what he had wanted, so they finally put a restraining order on him. Bella was hoping she wouldn't have to hear from Mr. Mason – Edward to all his honor students – for the rest of her high school years. She wasn't really interested in him like Tanya was, but it was her he had directed his attention onto._

_She looked up as Mrs. Stanley stopped in front of her house. Hopping out of the car, she thanked Mrs. Stanley before saying good-bye to Jessica. _

"_So, are you going to come try out for cheerleading with me?" asked Jessica. Bella shook her head._

"_I don't think I'm trying out this year. I need to focus on my school work a bit more than anything else. I'm come watch you, though," she said as she tightened her coat around her body subconsciously. The night air was still cold with the end of a winter that didn't want to leave. Jessica saw the her movement, and said good-bye, watching as her best friend walked towards her house in the side view mirror._

_Bella opened the door, the warmth of the heater and sound of two televisions greeting her as she walked in. She walked over to the closet, taking off her jacket and hanging it on an empty hanger. She walked by the living room once more. She could tell that it was her father who was watching the TV; it was turned onto a basketball game. She turned towards the stairs, walking up them._

_When she got to the landing, it was obvious where the sound of the second TV was at. The sounds of a car game came from her little brother's room. As she walked down the hallway, though, she tripped over something. Her hands felt around her, finding what it was that she tripped over. She groaned with displeasure as she stood, her brother's baseball bat in her hands. She changed the direction in which she was going, heading towards her brother's room instead of her own._

"_Hey, Eric, pick up your stuff next time. I don't appreciate tripping over it. And turn down the TV," she said, looking at her brother lying on his stomach on his bed. She took a look around the room. It was the same as it always was, lit by the TV where his game was still going. She looked back at him._

"_Hey, I'm talking to you," she said. She poked his side with the bat that she still had in her hands and screamed when she saw that his throat had been slashed, and the blood that was underneath him. She backed out of the room, a hand over her mouth as terror filled her eyes, the bat dropping from her hands. She hears a noise to her right, and look at the door to her parents' room. She can hear running and sees shadows moving from underneath the door._

_She stands there for a minute, debating whether or not to go to her parents room when she hears a familiar male voice yell, "Where is she?!"_

_She quickly runs back into her brother's room, going under the bed to hide. She hears a door open and running before she sees a pair of feet enter the room. She watched at the person attached to the feet tried to keep the person chasing them out of the room by shutting the door. She hears the male voice yell again, and her mother's voice answer that she didn't know where she was._

_The door is thrown open as her mother is pushed to the floor. A pair of black boots enter Bella's frame for a minute before the male strattles her mother, allowing Bella to see a bloody knife in his hand as he demands to know where she is again. Bella's mother, Renee, answers that she doesn't know, and Bella watches as her backhands her mother's face hard, saying, "You're her mother. You're supposed to know."_

_Bella covers her mother to keep from making a sound. Her eyes widen when she sees that her mother has caught site of her, and notices the apologetic look in her eyes. Bella immediately knows her mother isn't going to make it out of this alive, and has to grip her face harder to keep from making any noise._

"_She's at a friend's house for a sleepover," she hears her mother say. She watches as she waits for the male to leave, and stifles several sobs as she watches him stab her mother five times until she was dead. Her breathing is heavy as she watches the killer leave the room, and hears the door close two minutes later. She moves out from under the bed, trying as hard as she could to be quiet, not quite trusting that the killer isn't still there._

_By the time she is fully out from under the bed, she knows that he is gone. She had made some noise that would have attracted his attention if he was still there. She quickly walked down the stairs and out the door, her body shivering in the cold air. She went to head over to the neighbor's house for help when she saw a police car going down the street._

"_HELP!" she yelled, waving her hand on the air, trying to get the cop's attention. The cop continued down the street, having not seen Bella. Bella slowly put her arms down, breathing heavily as she tries not to cry._

_Suddenly, she hears someone whisper,"I did it for us," behind her, and turns around to see a face that she recognizes; the killer's. She screams before everything goes black._

* * *

**A Talk, Preparations, and a Reflection?**

* * *

"And what happened after that?" Mrs. Coop asked. Bella looked at her, having been staring out a window as she reaccounted her dream last night to the guidance counselor.

"I woke up, like always," she said, her voice shaking a bit with hidden fear left over from the dream…_or was it memory_ she thought as she chewed on her lower lip with that thought. She mentally shook her head as she refocused her attention on Mrs. Coop.

"Well, Bella, you've had a traumatic experience in your life. It's not surprising that you're having night terrors of it. What you need to remember is that he can't hurt you. He's far away, locked in prison," Mrs. Coop asked. Bella knew that she wasn't mad like she sounded. Mrs. Coop was too nice to be mean. When Bella had been directed to be counseled, the school thought that Mrs. Coop would be the perfect one to help her get past what had happened. And she did.

Mrs. Coop would listen to Bella for two hours every week as Bella told her about how everything had started, from the secret admirer notes that would appear in her locker – and in the mailbox at home – that scared her slightly – she hated attention, and how creepy the notes were – to the dreams that haunted her for months after her parents and brother had been murdered.

However, this was the first time she had seen Mrs. Coop in a year, as she had stopped seeing her when she had thought that the dreams that stopped and weren't coming back. However, they were, and she wasn't exactly happy about it. Prom was that night, and – as she had missed her junior prom due to a panic attack – she didn't want to miss this one. She wondered if the reason for that was the fact that her mother had always wanted her to go to the prom, and she wanted to do it for her.

"Well, I just wanted to know if that was common, not having had them for a whole year, for them to come back. I mean, it isn't even near the day that everything had happened, so…" she trailed off. She was kind of curious as to why they had come back. Mrs. Coop smiled kindly.

"Bella, as I told you before, you had a traumatic experience in your life. You have been taking anxiety pills since your panic attack last year. You've been extremely busy, and have been worrying about finals and other things. All of these things have clouded your mind, but – from what you told me – you want to go to prom because your mother always wanted you to go. My guess is that the reminder of your mother is why they suddenly appeared again."

Bella nodded. It made sense. Most times that she remembered her parents, she had to take her pills just to be able to go to sleep, as the memory of what happened the night they died would always appear. She didn't take them last night because she didn't want to numb herself from the excitement of being able to go to prom. She wasn't going to take them tonight for the reason that it was the actual prom.

Mrs. Coop looked at her watch as Bella looked at the clock. 2:30 pm. School had gotten out an hour earlier, so people could start getting ready for the prom. The actual event wasn't going to take place in Forks; it was going to take place at a really expensive hotel in Port Angeles. Bella knew she needed to get going. Because it would take awhile to get there, she and her best friends – Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory – were going to get their hair and make-up professionally done at three o'clock. She didn't want to be late.

Bella said good-bye to Mrs. Coop before hurrying to her car. She quickly got in, and drove to the beauty parlor. She saw Lauren and Jessica just getting out of the car, and an open spot next to them; she quickly pulled in, startling both girls with her speedy arrival.

"Hello. Ready to get ourselves beautified," she said, a joking tone in her voice. She wanted to forget what she and Mrs. Coop had just talked about.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go," Lauren said, leading the way. Bella and Jessica quickly followed.

They walked in, and were immediately seated, three girls working on their hair and make-up. The make-up was done first. Alice, Rosalie, and Kate – the girls who always did their make-up and hair – quickly grabbed their equipment. Kate stood in front of Bella, already knowing how Bella liked her make-up and hair done from months of visits. She was Bella's favorite, knowing not to overdo her make-up, and not to make her hair look to big.

Alice stood in front of Jessica and Rosalie was in front of Lauren, both already starting to put on foundation. Bella refocused herself on Kate, closing her eyes to allow Kate to work her magic. Ten minutes pasted as Bella felt Kate wash her face with a gentle cleanser before lightly putting on a bit of powdered foundation – the liquid looked horrible on her, never blending onto her face properly.

She felt the gently poke of the eye shadow brush as it lightly touched and spread some color on her eyelids. She opened her eyes when Kate asked her to look up for her, and saw a golden toned eye liner pencil as she felt Kate apply it under her eye. She kept her eyes open as Kate carefully applied mascara to her upper and lower eyelashes before allowing her eyes to drift shut again. She was so very tired…

"Okay, would you like to see what you look like," Kate said as Bella's eyes quickly fluttered open. She looked in the mirror in front of her, immediately liking what she saw. Pale, golden tones lightly touched her eyes, surrounding them and making them look luminous, like they were slightly glowing. There was a bit of blue in the mix as well. The mascara made her eyelashes look longer and fuller, and made her eyes pop a bit more than normal.

Her cheeks were a light pink, looking totally natural that she would have thought that she was blushing lightly if she hadn't felt the brush on her cheeks. Her lips, a natural red that made lipstick unnecessary, had a brush of clear lip gloss on them making them shine in the florescent light of the parlor. Bella smiled at Kate, letting her know, without words, that it was perfect.

Kate smiled before starting to work on Bella's hair. As she was brushing it, Jessica spoke. Both she and Lauren had started talking about what they were going to wear to prom. Neither wanted to give any revealing details as to what their dresses looked like, wanting it to be a surprise to the other. Bella was the same way.

"Well, I can't give you any clue without giving my dress away, so I'm not going to say anything," she said, a small smile on her face directed toward them. Jessica and Lauren begged and pleaded with her to give away at least one little detail, but Bella held firm to her decision; she didn't spill a single detail of what her dress looked like. Bella relaxed as much as possible as Kate continued to style her hair.

Finally, after ten minutes of the other two girls continued pleading, Kate was done, and handed Bella a mirror to see the back of her head. Bella turned the chair she sat in to the side in order to see what Kate did. Her hair was simple; wavy with some slight curliness at the bottom, with mini braids of her own hair twisted up and over her head like a hair band.

As Bella slightly messed with the back of her hair, she happened to notice someone at the bus stop across the street. Someone who looked very familiar to her. Someone who had haunted her nightmares for many nights. She quickly turned her head, a frightened expression on her face that no one noticed. She was afraid of what she might see.

But there was no one there. Bella calmed her breathing down as she turned back towards her friends, who hadn't noticed anything wrong with her. Bella looked away, lost in her thoughts. She was sure that she had seen him in the mirror, but there had been no one there when she turned around. She figured that she was just being paranoid about the whole thing, and decided to drop it. After all, she had something else to think about.

* * *

**A Gift, A Fax, and Arrival**

* * *

Bella stood in front of the full length mirror next to her bathroom door, adjusting her dress until it was perfect before walking into her bathroom. The dress was a extremely light blue color corset gown that pushed her cleavage up quite a bit, and tied in the back, leaving her back practically exposed to the air as the laces – even pulled as tight as possible – didn't allow the sides to touch each other. The long satin skirt went all the way down to the floor, touching it, and completely covering her light blue heels. Gloves that were almost shoulder length and the same color as the rest of the dress rested on her arms, completing the outfit.

She looked at herself in the mirror, gently wiping away any imaginary smudge that had appeared on her face. She took a deep breath as she opened the medicine cabinet, and grabbed her anxiety pills. She went to open them, only to stop. She wasn't sure if she wanted to take them, as they would make her numb for twelve hours. She thought for several moments before putting them back, unopened.

She closed the medicine cabinet and promptly jumped and let out a small scream. Her Aunt Esme was right behind her. She had snuck up on her while she was debating whether to take the pills, and had not noticed the door opening or the sound of soft footsteps heading her way. Aunt Esme frowned slightly when she noticed that Bella had put away the pills without taking any, and Bella knew she had seen her not take any.

"Bella, dear…" Esme started, her voice heavy with concern and disapproval. Esme knew that she had a nightmare last night, as she had been woken up by the sound of soft sobs coming from the room.

"Aunt Esme, I don't want to be numb tonight," Bella simply said, knowing that her aunt would understand. Esme did understand. This was supposed to be a happy night for Bella. It was understandable that she wouldn't want to be numb. So Esme simply nodded as she lightly hugged Bella.

"I have something for you," Esme said as she handed Bella what was in her hand. It was a shawl that had been her mothers. Light blue in color, it matched perfectly with her dress.

"Oh, Esme," she said as she gently took it from Esme. She held it for several moments before handing it back to her aunt.

"I can't take this. What if I accidentally ruin it?" Bella asked as she held it out to Esme. Esme shook her head before taking it and draping it around Bella's shoulders.

"You're taking it. Your mother would want you to," she said, a note of finality in her voice. Bella smiled slightly, a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The shawl really did well with her dress. Her eyes connected with Esme's eyes, telling her thank you without words. Esme left the bathroom, and Bella started to breathe deeply as she glanced at the clock. It was almost time to go.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the doorbell rang. Carlisle opened it to reveal Bella's boyfriend, Jacob Black. He stood there wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt underneath, Bella's corsage in his hands. He and Carlisle made small talk as they waited for Bella to appear. Esme walked down the stairs and smiled at Jacob.

"She'll be right down," she said before moving to stand by Carlisle's side. She looked up at the stairs and smiled again, drawing Jacob's and Carlisle's attention to the stairs, where Bella stood with a small smile on her face. Jacob's mouth dropped before curving into a huge smile. He loved the dress she was wearing.

"You look beautiful," he said as he placed her corsage on her. She pinned a white rose to his jacket before turning towards her aunt and uncle. She could already see that he aunt had a camera in her hands, and they did several quick pictures before leaving. Outside, a stretched Hummer limo waited for them, and they got in. Waiting for her and Jacob inside were Jessica, her date, Mike, Lauren, and Lauren's date, Tyler. Both guys were in tuxedos like Jacob, but Mike had a light blue shirt underneath his, and Tyler had a red shirt under his.

"Oh my god, Bella, I love your dress," both Jessica and Lauren gushed.

"Thanks, I love yours too," she replied. Jessica was wearing a paisley-printed dress with an empire bodice embellished with rattan-textured leather banding that had crisscross spaghetti straps and went down to just under mid-thigh. The colors of the dress were turquoise and mahogany. Lauren was wearing a scarlet dress that had a lace-edged contour bra, and double lace-up bodice, and a gauze-and-lace tiers swirly skirt. It went down to just above her knees. The straps were spaghetti straps.

"Let get this show on the road," Mike said as he tapped the glass separating them from the driver. The limo moved forward.

Meanwhile, at the police station, a fax comes in. Detective James sees it, and looks at it, studying the long haired man with gaunt features before bringing it to his superior, Detective Emmett.

"Sir, this just came in," he said, handing the paper to Emmett. Emmett stared before immediately going towards his phone. He quickly dials the number for his old friend, Jasper Whitlock – who was also the person who had faxed the picture over to him.

"Hello, Jasper, its Emmett," he said into the phone. James watched curiously.

"Hey Emmett, how are you doing?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. However, I didn't call for chit chat. I wanted to talk to you about something, something important. Is it true that Edward Masen escaped from the prison?"

"Unfortunately, it's true."

"When did it happen?"

"Three days ago."

"What do you mean, three days ago? How come I'm only hearing about this right now?"

"I had to send it to the police forces in this state before any other. There was a good chance that we may have caught him before he left the state. Once that was done, I had to do those in the other state before Washington. And, it didn't become apparent that he had escaped at first."

"How was it not apparent that he had escaped?"

"He killed another guy, and placed the body in his bed. The guard didn't discover an empty bed until around four in the morning; all beds had been filled at the last check around the building, which was 3:30 am. We got there at five."

"Is there anything else that might be important for me to know?"

"Yes. By the time that we had discovered the switch, we had a report of a department store alarm going off, and discovered that it had been broken into with several items missing. I had to notify the board before I could do anything else."

"Will you send me a list of the items missing?"

"Yeah. I'll also send any other reports that may have to do with him; he had to get out of this state to get to Washington, as we have no doubt that's were he is going. He would have most likely need a car, and some money. We'll look into everything here."

"Good. If there is a missing person's report made, send that too. He's killed before, he may do it again."

"Okay, will do. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Bye."

Emmett hung up the phone with an irritated expression on his face as he stared with heated eyes at the picture in front of him. After a minute, he stood up, and James, who had been wondering what that was all about, asked, "So who is this guy, and what's the story?"

Emmett, looked at him briefly before starting.

"A few years ago, I got this case dealing with a high school teacher. He got crazy obsessed with a female student. They fired him, that didn't stop him. And then when the family got a restraining order against him. He went psycho. She got home from the movies, he didn't know she was there. She hid under the bed and had to watch him kill her mother. We arrested that son of bitch at his house. We found journals of this guy having fantasies about this girl. He had pictures of her everywhere. It was enough to put him in prison. Of course, he tried to send letters to the girl, before they stopped for a while. The last letter was sent four months after he had stopped writing the first time. It arrived on the day before her junior prom. She had a panic attack, and he was moved up into a maximum security prison after that."

"So, what happened? Why did we get the fax?"

"Apparently, he managed to escape. He killed another prisoner, and put the body in his room. He's been free for three days."

"So, what are we going to do?"

Emmett paused, not having thought about their plan of action. He quickly thought up a plan.

"James, get several of our guys, and brief them on the case. I'm going to go to her house, and see if she's there. I will also need to inform her guardians and sent two squad cars around the house. I also want you to send a squad car to his old house, and the girl's old house, as they've been abandoned since the killings and his arrest. He might have decided to hang around there; there maybe a clue as to where he's at. After you've given those orders out, I want you to be ready in case I need you."

With those orders given out, both men walked off in different directions, one to carry out orders, another to head towards a family whose peace was about to be disrupted.

Bella and her friends were excited as they pulled up to the front of a huge hotel with a cathedral look on the outside; huge statues surrounded the front door, gargoyles perched along the wall. It had almost a gothic look to it. The limo pulled up front, where a red carpet was at. The carpet had a rope on one side, where reporters and cameras were at, taking pictures of each person that arrived.

The limo finally stopped at the front door. The driver of the limo got out, and walked over to the door, Opening it as Jacob got out rather quickly. He was never really one to stay still for so long, so it was rather understandable to Bella and the others. Bella got out a little more gracefully, taking the drivers offered hand as she lightly stepped from the vehicle. Once she was completely out, she walked over to Jacob's side.

Mike and Jessica were out of the vehicle next. They walked up to Bella's side, and she and Jessica shared an excited look with each other.

"Let do this, bitches!" Lauren yelled as she and Tyler walked toward them. Bella and the others laughed as she started walking towards the doors. The photographers on the other side of the rope began taking pictures of them, lingering on the girls more than the guys. Doormen opened the front doors for them as they walked in, following the few other students that were in the lobby of the hotel.

They all stopped in the front lobby, talking to their dates. Mike was telling Jessica that he needed to get the room keys before they went to the actual party, Tyler was whispering into Lauren's ear, and Jacob and Bella were just content at looking at each other. Bella let out a happy sigh.

"So, you ready for this?" Jacob asked her softly.

"Yeah," Bella answered.

They smiled at each other as they leaned towards each other, and their lips met in a soft kiss.

Meanwhile, at the front desk, a man wearing a hooded sweater had started to watch the group. His focus went immediately to Bella, watching her with an almost loving look on his face. Oh, how he had missed her. He continued to watch her, a frown forming on his face for a second as he watched her kiss the guy who had his arms around her. He wasn't particularly worried, as the kiss didn't last that long. He watched as she interacted with the others in her group. He heard one of the guys say that he would be back as he watched said guy walk towards the front desk.

Mike walked up to the front desk were the receptionist was waiting for the credit card the man watching Bella had in his hand to finish processing. The receptionist asked Mike, "How can I help you?"

Mike answered, "Um, I ordered a three bedroom suite a few days ago, under the name Mike Newton?"

"Oh, yes. How many keys do you need?"

"Three."

"Here you go. Your suite is on the fourth floor. Enjoy your night."

The receptionist handed Mike the keys just as the computer beeped, signaling the card was okay to use.

"Okay, Mr. Winston. Did you a preference of what floor you would like to be on?"

The receptionist looked expectantly at the guy, wishing that he could see his face a bit better in the slightly dimmed lighting. The guy, who was still watching Bella, turned around when he heard the receptionist ask his name again.

"Fourth floor," he said, a slight smile on his face at the prospect to be closer to his girl. The receptionist smiled back hesitantly as he said, "Okay."

He quickly handed Mr. Winston his card key, and watched as he walked away towards the elevators. He suppressed a shiver; the guy freaked him out slightly.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Police Visit, Being Watched, and Fighting** –

* * *

Emmett stopped his car in front of the Cullen house, where the victim, Bella Swan, lived with her aunt and uncle. He sighed, not really wanting to do this, but knowing that he had to. He walked to the front door, and rang the doorbell.

* * *

Carlisle walked into the kitchen, where Esme was at, washing the dishes from dinner. He walked up behind her, carefully taking the plate from her hands as he began softly kissing her neck. Esme giggled a bit as she turned around in his arms.

"Why don't you deal with the dishes later?" he said, a hungry look on his face. Esme smiled.

"Why not now? It's as good a time as any. Unless, you have another Idea on what we can do," she said, her hands on his chest. She splayed her hands, running them downwards, causing him to groan a bit as she stopped just before his pants. He smirked at her, his hand pulling her closer to him as they moved in opposite directions, one going further down her back, the other coming up to the back of her neck.

"As a matter of fact-" he started, only to be stopped by the doorbell ringing. He sighed as Esme laughed at him.

"Why don't you go get that while I finished these," she said, pointing at the dishes still in the sink. Carlisle gave a little irritated growl that had Esme giggling as he went to answer the door. The smile that was on his face slipped when her saw Detective Emmett, the lead detective that caught the son-of-a-bitch that killed his wife's sister and her family. The bastard who had stalked Bella. Emmett was wearing a grave expression that told him that the news her bore were not good.

* * *

Bella and her friends started towards the stairs the led to the room that was being used for prom. On their way there, they were stopped by Mrs. Winters, a teacher at Forks High. Mrs. Winters was one of the nicest teachers there, having favored Jessica a bit for her dedication the class she taught. Mrs. Winters was the P.E. teacher, having replaced Coach Clapp half-way through freshman year.

"Wow, Jessica your dress is so-" Mrs. Winters started, only to be cut off by a female voice saying, "Inappropriate."

Bella, Jessica, and the others turned to look at the female who had said that. Tanya, their worse enemy, walked closer to them, her seemingly innocent face turned into an ugly smirk the closer she got. Tanya had hated them since the first day of elementary school, thinking she was better than anyone else because her parents were rich. Bella and Jessica hadn't acted like she was a queen, so Tanya hated them for their attitudes.

The animosity grew on both of them because Jessica had become head cheerleader instead of her, and practically rule gym, and Bella had gotten Mr. Masen, the teacher that Tanya had a huge crush on, fired. The other four had become enemies of hers as well for choosing to hang out with Jessica and Bella – though Tanya was always rather nice to Jacob, having a crush on him.

"Tanya!" Jessica faked glee. "Wow! Your dress is so simple. It's so…you."

Tanya glared at Jessica before plastering a forced smile.

"As fellow prom queen nominee, I want to wish you luck."

The smile melted off to turn back into the ugly smirk.

"You're going to need it."

Jessica rolled her eyes, trying not to show that she was slightly intimidated by Tanya.

"You think you've got this all wrapped up, don't you?" she asked. Tanya sneered.

"Well, they're certainly not propped up and on display like yours. That's for sure," she said.

Miss Denali, that is enough!" Mrs. Winters said, sending Tanya a look that told her to back off. Tanya pursed her lips, tempted to continue, but backed down when Mrs. Winters began to glare at her.

Mrs. Winters sighed before turning back to Jessica, who was glaring at Tanya's back.

"Well, Jessica, I'll be rooting for you to win. Enjoy your night," she said. Jessica thanked her as Bella and the others said bye, and headed towards the main room.

* * *

"Hello, Mr. Cullen, may I come in?" Emmett asked, knowing that the answer would most likely be no.

Carlisle went to answer when Esme asked who was at the door. Carlisle quickly walked out, shutting the door behind him. Esme was confused as she walked towards the window, her confusion turning to worry when she saw the detective there.

Meanwhile outside, Carlisle asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I know this is the last thing you wanted to do for your evening, but I need to know where Bella's at. It's important," Emmett stated.

Carlisle sighed.

"Bella's at her senior prom in Port Angeles. What's this all about?"

"I just got a fax earlier today stating that Mr. Masen escaped several days ago. We fear that he may be on his way for her. I'm going to have to place several squad cars around your house, okay?"

Carlisle face went pale as he nodded, throat to dry to speak. They had thought that he would be out of their lives forever, and now… he didn't know what to think. He and Emmett worked out the details about the police protection, and Carlisle gave him the address of where prom was at. Carlisle went inside, where he saw Esme by the door, a worried expression on her face as she put two and two together.

"He's back, isn't he?" she whispered, several tears escaping her eyes. She didn't even need Carlisle to answer her as he enveloped her with his arms, hugging her tightly, as if he was trying to keep her from ever leaving his arms.

Outside, Emmett walked over to his car as he pulled out his cell, and called James.

"Hello, James here?"

"Hey, James, listen. The girl's not here, she's at her senior prom. It's in Port Angeles. Send four squad cars to her house, and have the rest go to the hotel where it's at, got it? I'm on my way there."

"Yeah, got it. Meet cha there, sir."

Emmett hung up the phone as he got into his car, and drove towards Port Angeles.

* * *

The room being used for prom looked like a club. Flashing lights, a raised dance floor, several chairs and tables surrounding it, and a DJ completely the theme. Music was being played loudly, and a number of students were already on the dance floor, dancing suggestively with their partners.

"Well, I'll say this for Tanya; she knows how to throw a spectacular looking prom night. Though, we're going to have to see how long it lasts," Lauren said. The others agreed. Mike, also in awe, remembered the key cards he got, and said, "Oh, here you guys go. I got three keys, one for each couple."

He handed Jacob and Tyler the other card keys, and Bella immediately asked Jacob for his, wanting to put the shawl and her purse in the room so she didn't lose it. Jacob handed it to her, and she, Jessica, and Lauren left for their hotel suite. Going to the elevators, all three girls get in the elevator, not caring about the fact that the only other people in the elevator with them were a bunch of business men, all looking for a good time.

As the elevator goes up, the men begin to hit on Bella, Jessica, and Lauren, who nicely laughed at their flirting rather than tell them to leave them alone. When the elevator got closer to the fourth floor, one of the bolder men said, "So, which one of you lovely women is going to be my date tonight?"

The girls bursted out laughing. Another one of the males said, "So, we're gonna take this party upstairs ladies. Room 614."

Jessica said, "Yeah. We'll be right up."

The elevator reached the fourth floor as Lauren laughed out louder and Bella said, still laughing, "Jessica!"

All three girl got off as they continued to laugh, not noticing the cleaning lady who had a look of shock and disapproval on her face as she used her master key to get into one of the other rooms, nor noticing the other occupant who had stopped short of placing his own key into the magnetic lock as he looked up at them, his focus immediately going towards Bella.

He cocked his head, a small, almost unnoticeable smile on his face as he watched her banter with her friend until they walked into their room and closed the door. His smile melted into a frown as he realized that he would need to get into the room. His eyes immediately took into account of the housekeeping cart near one of the doors. Keeping the cart in his peripheral vision, he pulled out a pocket knife, and began scratching the metallic black strip that would open his door.

He stopped once he had a few good scrapes on it, some of the black metallic stuff scraped completely off. He even tested it, the door staying completely locked before he turned to the staff member who had just come out of the other room.

"Excuse me, miss, I'm afraid my door won't open," he said. The woman, whose name tag read Irina, walked over, her face clearly suspicious of his intentions. She held her hand out for his card, which he handed over immediately. She put it through the slot, and tried to open the door. Jiggling the unlocked handle for a few minutes, turned the card over for inspection, a sigh breaking from her lips as she saw the problem.

"Sir, your card has a scratch on it," she said as she handed it back to him and pulled out a Master Card. She placed it into slot, and opened the door.

"If you call the front desk, they'll send up someone with a replacement for you," she finished, walking away with the intent of going back to work. He stopped her again.

"May I get some extra towels?" he asked politely. Irina said, "Yes."

He walked into the room, Irina following him as she carried several clean towels from her cart into the room, taking them to the bathroom for him. She placed them on the counter, and took a moment to look around the room before turning to leave, only to have to stop due to the fact that her way out was now blocked. Her eyes widened as she finally took in the man whose room she was in. He was handsome, but there was a rather chilling look in his eyes, and a haunted look to his blank face. She saw his arm move a little, and her eyes zeroed in on it.

He held a knife in that hand. She opened her mouth to scream, but he moved quicker than expected, covering her mouth as a burning pain entered her abdomen. The pain entered again and again as she became very lightheaded, here heart, at first beating faster, slowing down as she felt the sudden need to sleep, her eyes closing. One last hit into her no numb abdomen, a last shuddering breath, and her heart was still, no sound coming from her. Blood ran down her body into a pool on the floor, where her body drooped from his hands. The hand opposite of the one that held the knife now held her master key card.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bella, Jessica, and Lauren were looking around the suite, amazed expressions on their faces as they took in the suite. Bella walked over to a closet were she placed her purse and shawl in, Jessica and Lauren following suit. They did a quick look into the closet mirror before they went back to the party downstairs. Meeting back up with the boys, they started to dance. Several songs went by before a slow song came on.

Bella and Jacob began to dance around slowly, staring intently into each others eyes. They were in their own little world, not noticing anything else. A smile gracing their faces, Jacob leaned in closer as Bella pushed her face up to meet his lips. An intense kiss began, practically igniting a fire within both as they shared their passion through the kiss.

Only one person noticed, someone who was hidden behind a partially closed door, watching in on the dance, and watching Bella in particular. His eyes lit up as he continued to watch her. A frown came across his face when he saws them kiss. The frown disappeared once he saw them part, a calm blankness appearing on his face once again as he continued to watch her dance.

Bella and her friends, thirsty from dancing so much, walked to the table they had claimed as their own, the one farthest away from were Tanya and her crew – which mostly consisted of males hoping to get into her bed, and a single girl who was stupid enough to become her best friend, Jane. They turned their attention in that direction when Bella said, "Looks like we can't think that this prom is going to suddenly become horrible. Tanya did a real good job at it."

The other nodded in agreement. Mike redirected the attention away from Tanya when he looked at Jessica, and sensed that she was afraid that Tanya would win being prom queen due to the fact that she had done all this for them.

"Hey, I want to make a toast. To my little queen…no matter what happens. Cheers?" Mike said as the other focused their attention on him and away from Tanya's table.

"Cheers," Jacob repeated, followed by a murmur from the others as they agreed. They were silent for awhile, before Jessica took a look over at Tanya's take, and suddenly blurted out, "If that bitch wins, I'll hurl."

The others – with the exception of Bella – looked at her in surprise. Bella, who was used to the way that Jessica's mind worked, just looked at her as she said, "Would you just explain to me, why do you care? What do you get? A bouquet of roses and a tacky tiara you can only wear to proms?"

"It's not about what you get. It's like, it's about the honor, you know. It's about the respect of my peers," Jessica replied.

"Are you serious?" Jacob asked, laughing with everyone else.

**"** That's the geekiest thing you've ever said," Bella said with a smile on her face as she saw Jessica begin to relax a bit.

Jessica shrugged, starting to feel better after Bella's intervention.

"Ok, 'guess it was a little geeky. But seriously. I just want Tanya to know that she can't buy everything and think about the reunions to come. I win, it'll eat away at her until the day she dies," she replied, taking a drink out of the glass in front of her. Having gotten that off of her chest, she turned to Mike and said, "Dance some more?"

Mike quickly got up with her in his hand, leading her onto the dance floor. It was less than a minute later that Jacob and Bella joined them, leaving Lauren and Tyler at the table. Several more songs passed before Bella noticed Tyler angrily leave the table, Lauren glaring at his back as he left. Bella detached herself from Jacob, and headed over to her.

"Hey, Lauren, whats up?" she asked, concerned when she saw Lauren has tear tracks on her face.

"It's Tyler. He's making me so damn mad. And, on top of that, I have killer cramps," Lauren replied, not wanting to let anyone know what she and Tyler had been fighting about. Bella looked concern, but dropped it. She thought for a moment on what she could do to help Lauren feel better before brightening.

"Okay, I have some asprin in my purse, so I'll run up there and get it while you go to the ladies' room and freshen up," Bella said as she pulled Lauren up from her seat. She quickly walked over to Jacob, and tugged on his jacket.

"I need your key," she said, adding, "I need to get something from my purse for Lauren."

Jacob handed over the key. Bella gave his a small peck on his cheek before hurrying away, anxious to get back to the party, and back to Jacob.

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs, someone was already in the room that Bella and her friends had gotten for the evening. He had returned there after watching Bella dance, wanting to know more about her. He grabbed her purse from the shelf, and looked through it, finding out where she was living on her student I.D., and nothing else. Bella didn't keep a lot of things in her purse. It reminded him of back when he was her teacher, in ninth grade. The only thing that she had ever carried around in an abundant were books, classics mostly.

He stayed in there, walking around and ascesing the room for later, when he needed a quick getaway from the room. He had just hit one of the bathrooms when he heard the door open. Quickly hugging the wall, he peeks aroundthe corner, discovering that the 'intruder' to his intrusion was Bella.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Disappearances, Recognitions, and A Body Found**

* * *

Bella walked into the room, and quickly headed towards the closet where her purse was when she stopped, feeling a shiver run up her spine. Feeling as if she was being watched, she looked around her, checking everywhere in the room she was in. She went the opposite way of where he was, looking down the hallways, and disappearing from his sight as she checked the bedrooms, neither of them noticing the door opening again.

Bella walked back into the main room, about to head towards him when she and somebody else bumped into each other. A small shout came from her as she quickly turned around, only to see that it was Lauren, who had followed her up here to reapply her make-up, which had smudged slightly due to her crying. When he saw that they were no longer alone, he quickly moved away from them, going into a more shadowy part of the room.

Bella sighed slightly as she walked to the bathroom, and got a plastic cup and some water, returning to Lauren with it. Going to her purse, she quickly pulled out the asprin for Lauren, and asked her if she would like her to stay longer, Bella grabbed the card that she had set down on a table near the door, walked to the door, and told Laurent hat she would see her down there later before leaving.

Lauren sat on a couch for a bit, relaxing as she allowed the drugs to absorb into her system before getting up and heading towards the bathroom. Taking a look in the mirror, she found that her make-up wasn't as messed up as she though, and quickly grabbed a washcloth to dab under her eyes a bit. She had just finished doing that when she heard something that sounded like a footstep.

Her body froze as she dropped the washcloth, her mind racing a bit. She slowly turned around, a sigh of relief escaping her as she saw that there was no one there, only for her breath to catch when she heard the footsteps again. She quietly moved to the bathroom door, cautious of whoever it was that was in the room. She stepped out of the bathroom into the dark hallway, her head turning in both directions. She heard something to the right of her, and turned her head in that direction.

She saw the outline of someone, someone who looked like a male.

"Tyler?" she called out tentively towards the outline. It didn't move. She sighed as she walked towards the water that Bella had gotten her for the pills, and took a sip before turning back towards the person in the room, who she was positive was Tyler.

"Tyler, come out," she said again, impatience leaking into her voice. She waited a few minutes before saying, "Tyler, this isn't funny. Get your ass over here."

The outline didn't move. Maddened by this, she stalked over there before stopping in shock; the closer she got to the person, the more of him she could see, and she could see thiat it was definitely not Tyler. The guy was a bit taller, older, and had bronze-colored hair – well, that was the color of what she could see in the dim light. He looked a bit familiar to her, though she had no idea where she might have seen him.

Her eyes suddenly fell to his hand when she saw him move it. A light glinted off of the knife in his hands. She went to scream when he flew at her, his one hand going around her throat as he continued to back them up to a wall, the other holding the knife deep in her gut. He didn't move the knife, but did tighten his grip on her neck, choking her as he watched her eyes as her life left her.

Soon, she stopped struggling, her eyes slowly closing as the lack of oxygen started to turn her face blue as blood continued to drip from the wound on her abdomen. He slowly pulled out the knife, wiping her blood on her dress before picking her up, and dragging her behind him, leaving a small, almost unnoticeable trail on the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the front desk, Detectives Emmett and James were talking ot the receptionist, showing him a picture of what Edward Masen looked like the last time he was photographed; a picture almost two years old, and not entirely accurate with the way that he looked now; the picture had his with shorter hair, his lower face covered with the beginings of a beard, and dark eyes, the lighting of where the picture was taken didn't get the color proberly.

The receptionist didn't recognize the name nor the man in the picture, and told them so. They moved away from the desk, disappointment going through them. James, in an attempt to make Emmett feel better, said, "Maybe he's not here yet?"

Emmett shook his head.

"No, he's here. He has to know what tonight is, it was posted all throughout the town of what today was going to be, and where prom was going to take place. Not only that, but he seems to know the girl really well; the aunt said that she was angry when she missed her junior prom. If he really does know her as well as he seems to, he'll know that she's here."

Emmett continued to look around, not noticing the man who had just walked off the elevator, only to turn around again upon seeing him. The elevator doors had just closed when Emmett looked over in that direction, missing the one he was looking for my a second.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bella had found the group again. Walking over, she could see that Tyler – who had been looking in her direction with hope – looked tired and sad. Bella knew that Tyler didn't mean to get Lauren mad; she knew that he loved Lauren to death. He was just worried about what was going to happen after graduation; they all were. They had been together since first grade – tenth grade for Jacob and Lauren – and weren't sure how our friendship was going to survive when we wold be so far away from each other for the first time in our lives.

Bella herself wasn't sure how she was going to handle it, but she planned on dealing with it when they got there. However, looking at Tyler, she knew that he and Lauren really did need to talk about it – without fighting – so she walked over to him.

"Hey, Tyler, Lauren's going to be up in the room for a while," she hinted, a small smile making its way to her face as he immediately left to go to her, his hand fumbling the key card in his pocket. She turned towards the others, who hadn't noticed her come up yet. She wrapped her arms around Jacob, who new that it was her immediately.

"Your back, finally," he joked as he turned around to face her. Bella just smiled at him as she went to hand the key card back to him. He shook his head no.

"Keep it," he said.

"Okay," she said, and tucked he key into her top, her eyes rolling as she saw Jacob's eyes zoom to where he hand was.

"Hey," she said, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. He jumped slightly, startled.

"My eyes are up here," she said, a smile on her face as she barely surpressed the giggle that wanted to come out. She stood on her tip toes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a big kiss. They pulled away when they heard the music stop. Mrs. Winters held a microphone in her hand.

"Alright, I would like to tell you all that we will be announcing Prom King and Queen in twenty minutes. I would also like to thank Tanya for making all of this possible. Thank you, Tanya," she said as she handed the DJ the microphone back to him. The four of them looked at each other.

"Looks like we've got some time before…" Jacob trailed off suggestively. Mike quickly grabbed Jessica around the waist.

"We'll be back before they start," Mike said, a 'I-promise-you' look on his face directed at Jessica. Jacob pouted a bit, knowing that he and Bella would have to stay there in order to make sure to call them if they didn't get there before the time came, but didn't stop them. He knew that Mike had something special for Jessica, and he had a feeling that it was going to be happening soon.

But that didn't mean he had to like it. While he and Bella had been dating for a while, they hadn't done much but heavey makeout sessions, and groping over clothes, for Bella would always get stiff if he tried to go further than that. He knew already not to take it personally, though; while he didn't know everything that had happened in the past, he did know about what happened to her parents, and a bit about who the killer was. He knew that, when Bella was ready, she would tell him everything, including the reason why she was always slightly scared when it came to some things.

"Alright, I'll text you if your not back in time," he said, hugging Bella to him. Mike and Jessica left the room, heading for the elevators. Once they got there, Mike – with his arms wrapped around Jessica – moved one of them as he pressed the up button as he continued to tease Jessica by kissing and nipping up and down her neck. The door opened, and Jessica, distracted by Mike's kisses, ran into the man who was leaving it.

She looked up as she apologized, only to stop as she got a good look at his face. Stunned at the fact that she felt the man looked very familiar to her, she let Mike pull her into the elevator, while she tried to figure out where she had seen him before. The doors closed as she and the stranger continued to stare at each other until the doors blocked themselves from each other. The stranger turned towards the door that led to the stairs, and immediately walked towards it.

* * *

Meanwhile, while the other four were down on the first level enjoying themselves, Tyler was just reaching the room they rented. Pulling out his key card, he unlocked and opened the door.

"Lauren?" he called, alerting the other being in the room to his presence. The other man was in the bathroom, washing his blade free of the blood that had started to dry on it. He had already shut and locked the bathrrom door, and he silently turned off the water when he heard Tyler in the room. He silently walked over to the bathroom door, closing and locking it with a click.

Tyler, who heard the door close and lock, quickly walked over to it. He knocked.

"Lauren? Lauren?! I know your in there," he said as he knocked repeatedly on the door. After three minutes of repeated knocking, he stopped. Huffing in disappointment at the lack of response from Lauren, he walked into the living area, plopping down on a couch with his head in his hands. He sat like that for awhile, until he heard the door to the bathroom open. He was quickly on his feet again as he headed towards the now opened bathroom door.

He walked in. The bathroom was empty. Walking over to the tub, he pulled the shower curtain open, partially angry at Lauren for hiding, and partially hoping that she was hiding. She wasn't. The tub was empty as the curtain was moved by him, leaving him slightly nervous as to were Lauren went when he heard something, a small sound of doors closing, and the thudding of someone trying to be quiet in moving.

He turned, allowing his ears to direct him towards the sounds. After he walked into the front room, where the sounds were loudest, they stopped, leaving him standing there listening hard for another indicator of where Lauren might be. He suddenly heard something soft dropping near him, yet it was still muffled by doors. His eyes zeroed in on the closet three feet from him.

He slowly walked over, slightly scared at what Lauren planned on doing. This behavior of hiding from him wasn't like her. Hell, her hiding from anybody wasn't like her. He opened the door, ready to give Lauren hell if she scared him. Peering the darkness, he almost closed the doors when he saw that there was no one there until he noticed that his first assumption was wrong. He could see eyes staring back at him. Eyes that were green, a different color compared to Lauren's blue eyes.

Tyler's eyes widened as his mouth opened to scream. Which was cut off as the person who was hiding in the closet jumped out, a white hot flash of pain beginning in his throat, where the person's hand was wrapped around a hilt six inches from where the pain was. He fell backwards, feeling the knife in his throat slide out before he was grabbed by the front of his suit, and pulled into another hallway, a darker one. He could feel the blood pouring from his wound, weakening him as he was shoved into a cupboard, unable to moved as his heartbeat began to slow down dramatically, the blood loss being to much.

The last thing he saw was the thin light from the crack that was around the cupboard door before his heart stopped.

* * *

The green eyed killer went back left the room, going back to his room when another member of the hotel staff, a male whose name he heard the receptionist say over a cell phone speaker to be Felix, stopped him.

"Excuse me, have you seen a female named Irina around here?" Felix asked. He turned towards him, opening his door wider as he said, "She's in my room fixing my towels. You can come get her if you would like."

Felix nodded, and walked into the room. He walked in front of the room's occupant, who closed the door, making it pitch black. Felix looked around, but he couldn't see very well, the room to dark for his eyes. He turned to turn on the light, but did have the chance to as he was hit in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. He felt the a rush of air and a sting of pain on his cheeks and nose, and could feel something warm and wet dripping down his face. His nose felt filled with it as it dripped down to his mouth. Upon opening his mouth, he discovered that the liquid on his face wasn't something he wanted. Blood.

Felix, feeling fear, was surprised when he was suddenly grabbed by the hair and chin. Felix struggled for a moment before his head was turned to an unnatural angle, breaking his neck. His body was pushed backwards, away from his killer, where it landed sideways on the bed with the head hanging off of it.

* * *

He left the room then, going downstairs using the elevator. He planned on watching his girl for a bit longer. However, a problem accured that he didn't forsee, as Jessica ran into him.

He couldn't help but stare at her as he recognized her. He moved out of her and her boyfriends way, looking behind him, hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with another complication. He narrowed his eyes as he realized that she did recognize him; or, at least, thought of him as familiar. He knew that it wouldn't be long before she remembered. He turned towards the door to the stairs.

* * *

Jessica was distracted all the way to the room. She couldn't get that man out of her head, despite her attempts to enjoy herself with Mike. Usually, she did have a problem when he attempted to distract her from something, as she usually could keep her mind – or her hands – off of him. However, the nagging feeling that she knew the elevator guy just wouldn't leave her.

They made it to one of the bed in their hotel room when Mike sensed that Jessica wasn't paying attention. He stopped kissing her neck, gently grasping her chin in order to looking her eyes, where he could almost always figure out what she was thinking. What he saw troubled him.

"Hey, honey, what's wrong?" he asked. Jessica looked at him, startled. She had forgotten that he was there, having been lost in her thoughts.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I'm just worried about what will happen next year. You know, we'll both be in college, and I'm afraid that we'll end up drifting apart, and…" she began before he shushed her, not wanting to hear her pointless worrying about next year. He knew she had something else on her mind that she didn't want to share.

"Hey, hey, you know that's not true. You and me are going to be going to the same college, so there's no worry of us growing apart, Lauren's only going to be a half hour away from us, and Tyler will by an hour away from her. Bella's the only one we have to really worry about, but even then, you and I both know that she will call us as often as possible, as well as visit, so there's nohing to worry about. Now, tell me what is really worrying you?"

Jessica sighed as she realized that it was pointless not to tell him. He was rather persuasive when it came to getting information from him; she had been the one to ruin several surprise parties for him due to her inability to keep secrets around him. She began twisting her hands in her lap as he eyes refused to look at him, focusing on her hands instead of him.

"It's nothing important, it's just…I got a weird feeling of déjà vu from the guy I bumped into on the elevator. I don't know why, but he looked really familiar to me, like I knew him from somewhere. Not only that, but the way that he looked at me was extremely creepy, like he was waiting for me to do something. I don't know, it's kind of hard to explain…" she trailed off as she looked up from her hands to his face.

"Hey, Jess, don't worry about it, you'll remember soon," Mike said. Jessica smiled, resulting a grin to come over Mike's face before he leaned in. Jessica followed, leaning in so that their lips met in the middle. Their kiss started out softly before becoming more heated. Jassic began pulling Mike's jacket off as they kissed, Mike taking over the job when it was halfway off. His fingers brushed up against something in the pocket, and he suddenly remembered what it was that he wanted to ask her.

He broke off the kiss, both of them breathing heavily, when a Jessica looked at her wrist, bare of its usual bracelet that she was wearing a few minutes ago. Her eyes widened as she began to search for it, as it was a gift from her late grandmother that was given to her several year ago.

"What is it?" Mike asked, withdrawing the hand that had been about to get the box out of his pocket.

"My bracelet. It fell off," she said, not needing to explain anymore. He knew what the bracelet meant to her. He too searched for it when he saw something fall off of the bed, and leaned over the side. A smile graced his face as he saw the bracelet.

"Here it is," he said, picking it up from the floor. A small smile graced his face when he saw Jessica sigh and smile with relief. She held out her arm as he motioned for her to do so, and he fastened it on.

"There you go. You might want to be more careful with it, I know how …" he said, but Jessica had froze about halfway through the second sentence, his voice becoming hazy as a forgotten memory made its way to her brain. It was a memory of when she was still in her freshman year, several weeks after being given the bracelet, when she thought she had lost it for the first time.

She sprang off the bed, running towards the door as Mike kept asking what was wrong. Her only reply was an almost intelligable mumble that he barely heard, though he did hear it.

"I've got to warn Bella," was all that she said before flying out the door, much to Mike's protest. He sighed dejectedly as he heard the door slam shut, his hand – which had been reaching into his pocket – grabbed the box and pulled it out. He opened it, and stared at the engagement ring that he had planned on giving Jessica before she ran off; it didn't take him long to close it before his hand tightened around it.

He closed his eyes, thinking about what it was that would have sent Jessica off before he realized that she must have remembered something important; what it was, he didn't know. All that he knew was that it had something, something important, to do with Bella. With that thought in mind, he got up and left the room.

* * *

After Jessica ran out the door, she went straight to the elevators. Impatiently clicking the button several times before stepping back to see where all the elevators were, almost screaming in frusteration when she saw that they were all near the top floors. She waited for a second before she stormed through the door to the stairs, not noticing the man who had been watching her from another's room before following behind her.

She managed to get down halfway before her heel got stuck, and she tripped, falling down the steps on her side due to her failed attempt to grab the hand rail. Her back hits the wall hard, causing her breath to be forced out of her lungs. It took her several minutes before she could breath properly. Suddenly, Jessica heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. Her first thought was that someone had heard her, and had come to see if she was alright; her second was that Mike had followed behind her and was coming to help her.

Her eyes turned towards the stairs, where she spied who it was that she had heard. Fear and terror entered them as she saw that it was the last person she wanted to see, especially in the vulnerable position that she was in at the moment.

"What's the hurry?" the man said. Jessica let out a piercing scream before she scrambled to her feet, and went running down the stairs. She only waited until she had made it to the next floor before leaving the staircase, not realizing that the floor was closed, being remodeled, so there were no working lights, making it almost pitch black save for the occasion flash of the limelight outside.

She only took a second to look around before taking off to her left, where a handleless door was closed. She plowed through it, quietly shutting it behind her before bending down slightly, and looking through the hole where a door handle would go. She almost stopped breathing when she saw his feet step into the hallway. _Go the other way, go the other way_ she silently prayed, almost sighing with relief when he did so.

She slowly stood up, and backed away from the door, turning so she could look for the elevator without running into him. She caught sight of the fact that there was plastic hanging from the ceiling. She carefully stepped through, trying to see in the dark gloom that surrounded her when she accidently hit something with her hip, knocking it over and startling the pidgeons that she hadn't realized were there. A scream crawled out of her throat that she was unable to stop.

Without thought, she ran, knowing that he had more than likely heard all the noise she had made. She looked around as she ran through several curtains of plastic before she saw a table with another plastic curtain on it, making a nice place to hide. The plastic was thick enough to help hide her from unwanted eyes. She was quick in dropping to the ground and crawling underneath the table, trying hard not to disturb the plastic that much.

When she heard his footsteps, and saw his shadow coming closer, she clasped a hand over her mouth, blocking off her panting and heavy breathing from him. She watched as the shadow became real, no longer a shadow but an actual person. She watched as he walked away. She took her hand away from her mouth, finally able to breath freely.

Suddenly, she heard the ding as the elevator doors opened. She looked over to where the slant of elevator light filled the room, and saw Mike stick his head out, calling her name. She went to move, only to clap her hand back over her mouth to stifle the scream that had almost escaped her as the one who she was hiding from stepped back into view.

She watched as Mike looked around before his shouldered heaved in a sigh, and he stepped back into the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby before the doors closed. Jessica wished she could call out ot him, tell him not to leave her here, to save her. But she knew that it wouldn't be wise. While part of her hope that it wouldn' happen, a large part of her knew that there was good chance that she wasn't going to make it to the end of the night.

Once the doors closed, he moved away again. Jessica waited until she could neither see nor hear the feet, and crawled out from under the table. Standing up, she headed towards the elevators, only to be grabbed by her arm, a scream being cut off as a knife tore into her throat, going through both arteries and her windpipe.

The blood spray hit the wall, covering it as her dead body fell to the ground.

* * *

He stepped over the body, and walked away, leaving the corpse there. After all, he had something better to do than stay there.

* * *

Bella and Jacob were sitting at the table, waiting for the others to return, when they turned towards the stage. Mrs. Winters was once again standing on stage.

"Hello, may I have your attention please? Okay, I would llike the nominees for Prom King and Queen to come to the stage. Tanya Denali, Alec Sefer, Carmen Valesca, Garrett Winchester, Jessica Stanley, and Mike Newton," she said. Everyone clapped as four out of six people went towards the stage.

Bella looked towards the entrance, noticing that Jessica and Mike weren't there yet. She turn to Jacob, wondering if he had called them already. He looked at her, his cell phone in his hand.

"I already did, but he's not answering," Jake said, answering her unasked question. Bella nodded her head before looking towards the door again. It took her several seconds before she stood, just as Mrs. Winters was about to call out Jessica's and Mike's name yet again.

"I'm going to go look for them," she announced before leaving the room. She ran into Mike on the way to the elevators.

"Mike," she said as he held her arms, helping her steady herself before letting go. "You better get in there. Mrs. Winters has already called you to the stage."

Bella looked behind him, ready to tell Jessica good luck when she noticed that Jessica wasn't there.

"Where's Jessica?" she asked.

"I don't know, she said she was coming to see you," he said, a bit of panic leaking into his voice at the end of that sentence. Bella caught it.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," she started, her voice full of authority, "you're going to go and get you ass on stage, and I'm going to go look for Jessica. She's probably just in the bathroom."

Mike nodded, and walked passed Bella, who immediately headed towards the restrooms. She quickly walked to the bathroom, opening the door and calling out, "Jessica?"

Several other girls who were in there fixing their hair, turned to look at her. One of them, knowing who she was talking about, said, "She's not in here."

"Thanks," Bella replied. She walked back out of the bathroom, and headed towards the elevators, only to run into Demetri, a guy who she dated for a while but broke up with after they both realized that they were to different from each other. They were still on friendly terms, however.

"Hey, Bella," he said, steadying her much like Mike had done when she had ran into him. "Where you off to in a hurry?"

"Oh, hey, Demetri. I'm actually looking for Jessica. Have you seen her?" she asked once she was steady. He shook his head no. Bella sighed to herself, wondering where Jessica was. Demetri went to walk around her when she suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Hey, do you think you can go in there, and tell Jacob that I'm going to go check the room again. He'll know what I'm talking about," she said. He nodded. Bella said thanks before pressing the button for the elevator, and going to the fourth floor.

* * *

Emmett walked out of the hotel, James hot on his heels as he headed towards the parking lot. Earlier in the evening, he had gotten a call from Jasper that they had gotten a missing person's report, and filed everything over. Ther person missing was Aro Winston, last seen the night that Edward Masen had escaped, with his car missing. That was all that was missing.

Mrs. Winston, the guy's wife, had called the police when he didn't show up the next day. Jasper, in looking through leads on how Masen could get to Forks and Port Angeles faster, had found the report. He found it to be rather important, as a car was just what Masen might have needed, and called Emmett right away.

In response to that, Emmett had told several units to look through the hotel parking lot, as well as lots close to the hotel. Emmett wasn't sure, but he wouldn't be surprised if Masen had hidden the car in another parking lot to keep others from finding it. However, he didn't need to worry, for the car was found sooner than expected in the hotel's parking lot.

That was were he and James were heading at the moment, to look over the car. The officer that had called Emmett was about to pop open the trunk when he saw Emmett. He handed them a pair of latex gloves before walking to the driver side door.

"Sir," he said in greeting as he opened the door. He pulled the latch for the trunk, which opened only a little bit, able to be closed with a single light push.

"What's that smell?" James asked, for, when the trunk had opened, a horribly smell premeated the air. Emmett, who recognized the smell, grimly answered.

"That's the smell of decomposing flesh," he said, opening the trunk all the way after pulling his gloves on. Inside was a body, one that Emmett had no doubt was Aro Winston's. He turned to the officer.

"Have you already searched the rest of the car?" he asked, turning back to the body as he grabbed a flashlight. He hardly acknowleged the answer as he shined the light in the back of the car, looking for anything that might help him. It didn't take him long to guess the cause of death; Aro's throat had been slit ear to ear, the cut being very deep; the weapon, a knife, had gone through both arteries and his windpipe, as well a bit of the bone. Aro's death was practically instantanious.

Emmett continued to search, looking for any piece of evidence that could help him. He got lucky; the light caught the corner of a brown leather wallet that was partially hidden underneath the body. He reached forward, grabbing it before opening it. A driver's licence, a few pictures, and some spare change was in it.

He turned towards James,.

"Did the report mention what Aro had on him; more specifically, what he had in his wallet?" he asked. James thought, trying to remember exactly what Emmett had recited off to him earlier when they had first gotten the call.

"Jasper told you that Mr. Winston always kept a credit card in his wallet, as well as a few twenties," he said, looking down as he took a quick look at the wallet. His eyes widened as he met Emmett's look, both thinking the same thing. They headed towards the lobby.

* * *

**Chapter Five – Finding, Alarms, and Meeting**

* * *

Emmett went to walk to the front desk when he suddenly stopped, where the receptionist looked up, startled at the appearance of the policemen.

"Excuse me sir, do you have a Mr. Aro Winston registered?" Emmett asked in a friendly tone that betrayed none of his impatience. The guy quickly typed out the person asked for on his computer, and waited for a few minutes. He looked up as he answered, "Yes. He's in room 418."

Emmett heaved a huge sigh. They were close to catching the bastard. He turned to James.

"Alright, here's what were going to do. I'm going to go up to the room. I want you to go find Bella, and protect her, and tell Alec to watch the door," he said before turning back to the receptionist and saying, "I'm going to need a key to room 418."

The guy looked troubled, but didn't dare argue with Emmett.

James, left Emmett standing by the desk as he headed back towards the prom, intent on find Bella and keeping her safe. As he did so, he paused for several moments to let Alec know his assignment before continuing on.

* * *

Emmett led the way upstairs, followed by one of the staff as they took the stairs to the room. Pulling out his gun once they had gotten to the door, he motioned for the staff member to open the door. The staff member looked nervous as he placed the card in the mechanical slot. He had just barely opened the door when Emmett shooed him away.

He slowly pushed opened the rapidly closing door, trying to make as little noise as possible. He quickly, yet quietly, walked in, his eyes glancing everywhere in the room as his ears strained to hear any sound. He checked the miniature hallway, behind the door, the closet, and the main room, including under the bed, before he turned towards the bathroom.

The door was partially opened, allowing a slant of light to escape from the brightly lit room. Emmett crept over, slowing reaching out with his hand to push it open some more. He looked around the corner carefully, using the mirror to help him before he finished pushing open the door. It gently hit the wall as he stepped into the room fully.

He looked over to the side to discover the shower curtain was closed. Taking carful steps towards it, he reached out his hand, keeping his gun steady as he quickly yanked the curtain to the side. At first, he thought the tub to be empty until he looked down.

"Shit," he whispered as he stared at the female body covered in a staff uniform. He quickly grabbed his cell as he walked out of the room. Hitting speed-dial, he called James.

"He's in the hotel," he said, not giving time for James to speak. "He's already killed a maid. Find Bella and put her into protective custody."

He quickly hung up, not allowing James to answer as he stopped in front of a fire alarm. He broke the glass that surrounded the switch, and pulled.

* * *

Mike Newton quickly ran up onto the stage once he got into the room, everyone applauding and whistling as he turned to face them, slapping his had to Alec's, who was standing behind Tanya. Tanya turned her head towards him.

"Where is she?" she hissed, irritated. Mike shrugged his shoulders, not willing to tell her that he had no idea where she was. He hoped that Bella would find her soon.

Mrs. Winters waited another minute before giving up on waiting for Jessica.

"Alright, then. I guess we'll have to go on without her," she said. Straightening up, she held the envelope with the results up where everyone could see it as she said, "This year's Prom Queen and Prom King are…"

She opened the envelope and started pulling out the results card when the fire alarmed blared. An electronically, female voice sounded throughout the room.

"Warning, warning. Please exit the building."

It repeated itself several times as the students groaned. Suddenly, another voice entered the fray, one that was louder than all of theirs, and spoke with authority.

"Excuse me, Excuse me, may I have your attention please," the man said as he made his way to the stage. Once he was sure that he had everyone's attention, he continued.

"Hello, I'm Detective James of Forks police. I am going to need you all to exit the hotel."

He was met with more grumbling.

"Please listen. This is not a drill. You need to exit, now," he said firmly. Everyone began to move towards the exit. However, Tanya yelled, trying to stop them.

"Wait. They were just about to crown king and queen."

No one listened to her. Mrs. Winters walked up to her.

"Come on, we can find out who won later," she said, trying to usher Tanya – as well as her two friends, who had walked up onto the stage to flank her – out into the crowd. Tanya sneered.

"Like hell I'm waiting," she snapped, ripping the envelope out of Mrs. Winter's hand. Ignoring Mrs. Winters exasperated sigh, she quickly opened it, pulling out the paper inside. Her heart pounding, she had a slight smile on her face as she imagined that her name was on the paper in her hands. She opened it, and stared, her eyes beginning to harden as hate and anger made its way through her veins.

"Shit!" she yelled, ripping the paper in half as she threw it to the ground, and stormed away. Her friends hurried forward, bending down to pick up the discarded pieces of paper that Tanya had thrown down.

"No way," they said, reading the names. _Prom King – Mike Newton. Prom Queen – Jessica Stanley._ They stared for a few more minutes before remembering Tanya. They snapped their heads up, looking around for their angry friend. While they were friends with Tanya, they also knew that her temper wasn't something that should be unleashed, on anyone.

Both of their eyes widened as they saw that she was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Jacob and Mike were following the crowd, on their way out when they heard the detective yell out, "Bella Swan. I need Bella Swan."

Jacob's eyes widened as he heard his girlfriends name. Turning towards the detective, he asked, "What do you want with Bella?"

"Why? Do you know where she's at?" James asked, ignoring the question Jacob had asked him. Mike stepped forward.

"She went looking for my girlfriend," he answered hesitantly, his eyes nervously looking at Jacob's face. James' face paled as he asked, "Where?"

* * *

He had gone to Bella's room after his murder of Jessica. He had been in the bathroom, cleaning the blood off of his knife when someone had walked in. He peered out of the bathroom door after quickly turning off the water, his eyes widening as he saw the object of his affection.

Bella was the one who had walked in yet again. He had her to himself yet again. He was almost positive that there wouldn't be any interruptions this time, but he didn't move. He couldn't move. He felt frozen, having her this close to him. It seemed to be a lot closer to him than ever before.

He watched as she called out Jessica's name from the bedroom that he had walked into, the bathroom where he had been cleaning his knife having connected to it.

Part of him knew that it was mostly the fact that he could easily get her know that had erased his plans away. His thoughts were automatically turning to how relieved he would feel to have her back into his arms. He could just imagine the look on her face when she saw him; in his imagination, she looked happy, glad.

He was in fully fantasy now. He could see her happiness to his reappearance, feel her skin pressed against his after he got her out of there. He could feel the amazing kisses that she would give him, kisses that would be filled with silent longing that was being erased. He could feel her hands run down his bare back as she clenched around him, her nails digging into his skin as she came.

The sound of the fire alarm jolted him out of his fantasies. A moment, he could hear a soft thump followed by the clanging of metal and rolling of items across a wood floor. He looking around the corner of the hallway near the bedroom that he was to see her on the floor, having been shocked by the alarm.

Her purse had spilled, tubes of lip gloss and pens scattering on the floor. He could see the metal hangers in the closet moving, telling him that her purse had most likely hit them. He sighed, knowing that he was going to have to make corrections to his plans. He knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to get her out without someone noticing. Not unless he used the back ways.

He froze, a slow grin growing on his face as he realized that it would be perfect. He went to move forward when he noticed her pulling open the door. He cursed silently as he made to follow.

* * *

Bella walked into the room, feeling slightly uneasy. She turned her head towards the side, calling out for Jessica. Walking around, she glanced into several of the other rooms, noticing the room where Mike had left his jacket on the bed. It was the only thing that was out of place in the room.

Feeling as if she was being watched, she quickly turned around, starting as she almost knocked over a lamp. He hands quickly grabbed it, steadying it to keep it from falling. She took a deep breath, calming herself. She continued to look around. She didn't see Jessica anywhere. Sighing slightly, she walked towards the closet.

Opening the doors, she reached for her purse, her hand grabbing it when the fire alarm went off, startling her yet again. She jumped, her hand knocking her purse to the ground. It hit several of the hangers, making them bang together as she stepped back to avoid them. Catching her foot on the back of her gown, she tripped, landing on her bottom near her purse.

Silently laughing at herself, she quickly picked up her stuff, throwing it into her purse before she grabbed her mother's shawl and wrapping it around her, picking up the key card that had also fallen from her hand before straightening up. She quickly hurried towards the door, anxious to leave the hotel. However, just as she left, the door shutting behind her, she was stopped.

* * *

Tanya was seeing red. She stormed through the crowd, following it out into the main lobby before breaking away from it to head towards the elevators. She knew what room they were staying in. She had overheard Mike telling the other two what room it was. She decided to bypass the elevators, fearing that they would either be on lockdown, or go to slow for her liking.

She practically ran up the stairs, going as fast as she could. Once she got to the fourth floor, she started looking for the room that she was sure she would find Jessica in. She turned towards the right when she heard a door opening, running over as she saw Bella leave the room.

"Where is she?" she snarled in Bella's face, scaring her.

"Who, Jessica? I don't know, she's not in there," Bella answered, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders. Tanya growled, grabbing Bella's arm as she yanked the key card out of Bella's grip with her other hand, saying, "I don't believe you."

She was to far gone in her rage to think properly.

Flinging Bella away from her, she quickly entered the card into the door, and opened it. Bella, having hit the wall behind her, hissed in pain as she quickly followed Tanya, hoping to calm her down. While she didn't know what it was that had Tanya all riled up, she had a good idea. Tanya didn't get prom queen; Jessica did. And now, Tanya was on a warpath.

"Tanya, stop," she said, the door shutting behind her. Tanya ignored her, walking towards one of the bedrooms. Bella ran after her.

"You need to stop and calm down," she insisted, about to grab Tanya's arm she Tanya froze, her body becoming tense. Bella instantly tensed herself, though she had no idea why she did so. Taking several steps back, Bella kept her eyes on Tanya, who had yet to move. Her heart pounded against her chest, her senses sharpened with adrenaline.

It was the sharp scent of fresh blood that alerted Bella to what had caused Tanya to pause long before she noticed something red gathering on the floor. Her head swam, threatening to send her to an inky blackness as panic began to build. The softest of footsteps brought black shoes into her view.

Swallowing hard, her eyes began to drift upwards, following the outline of the person who had just stepped into view. She began to breathe in gasps, panic causing her throat to close as she focused on his face, a face that she had spent years trying to forget. She slowly backed away, her eyes widened in disbelief as she recognized her old teacher, Edward Masen.

As she backed away, her eyes took in more of her surroundings, causing her to see the front of Tanya, whose body had been turned when he had appeared. She froze at the display. A knife was sticking out of her chest, the handle being held within the hand of Edward. Her body was being held up by the knife, her eyes dull with death. Blood, with had been soaked into her dress began to drip to the floor, building into a puddle.

Bella took yet another step back, her head slowly shaking as her eyes returned their focus back to Edward, who had pulled the knife from Tanya's chest, allowing the body to fall to the ground. The sound of Tanya's body against the floor seemed to create a loud thumping sound. To Bella, it sounded like a gunshot, loud, and piercing.

It was that noise that made her move. Turning, she ran towards the door, Edward right in her heels. She changed direction, Heading towards the other room that had doors leading out to the hallway. Slamming and locking it behind her, She cringed when she head Edward hit the door. However, she didn't stay on the thought for to long. Instead, she quickly ran towards the door that led to the hallway, opening it and taking a step out before she quickly went back, slamming to door shut behind her.

Another loud thump, sounding like a hand hitting the wood, caused her to let out a small shriek. She quickly locked that door as well, walking backwards as her body shook.

"Go away, go away, go away," she repeated, going softly at first. However, she progressively got louder until she was almost screaming it when an even louder noise at the door caused her to scream out, "Leave me alone!"

Her eyes widened when the noise became a definite banging sound, the door beginning to shake. She quickly went towards the door that led back into the other room, unlocking and opening it before she ran into the bathroom next to the still shuttering door. She managed to get into the room just as she heard the sound of breaking wood.

She quickly stepped into the empty tub, squatting downwards and praying that he would fall for her trick. She stopped breathing as she saw his shadow fall into the room, the light from the apartment itself spilling into the room. She watched as the shadow moved, allowing her to see that he went further into the room.

Biting her lip, she slowly got up, and stepped out of the tub. Her heart pounded as her mind caused every little sound she made to sound twenty times louder than they really were. The soft swish of her dress sounded like the wind blowing threw several trees, the small steps that she took sounding like loud cracks.

She stopped once she got to the door, slowing looking around the corner. The room was empty. She quickly turned towards the door – or, rather, what remained of the door. It was in pieces, a huge hole in the middle. She gathered her skirts, trying heard not to accidentally cause sound.

She was about to step through the hole, her hands on either side of what remained of the door, when a part of the door came loose in her hand. A gasp left her lips as the piece clattered when it hit the ground. She quickly stepped through the hole, her breathing even harder than it had been before as she heard him run back into the room.

"Wait!" he yelled. However, instead of doing as he said, she sped up, running towards the elevators when she slammed into someone.

* * *

**Chapter Six – Epilogue**

* * *

James was quick in running towards the front, looking for Emmett's huge form. The other two – Jacob and Mike – followed closely behind, both worried. James led them towards the doors outside, having spotted Emmett leaving. He hurried passed the few stragglers as he stepped outside, Emmett catching sight of him immediately.

"Where is she?" he asked upon reaching them, realizing that the one he had sent James in for wasn't there.

"They said she went looking for a friend," James answered, motioning over to where Lake and Mike were.

"Why do you want Bella?" Jake asked, irritated that he was being ignored. At that moment, Demetri – who hadn't been able to get to Jake before the fire alarm had rang, and had been searching for him within the masses of seniors that poured from the doors – walked up to him.

"Found you. Bella wanted me to give you a message. She said that she was going to go up to your suite to look for Jessica and grab something," he said. Seeing the looks everyone else was giving him, he, for some odd reason, added, "This happened before the fire alarm. I was actually on my way to let you know when it was pulled."

"What room were you guys in?" Emmett asked, turning to the two boys. Jake answered him.

Jake was racked with worry, which made him want to snap at someone. He turned to follow the two detectives, being held back by a police man when he did. That just made him angrier. He partially wished that Demetri hadn't been looking for him, that he would have a reason to yell at him, but he didn't.

Mike was going through the same turmoiling worry that Jake was. Only his was just mounting up, not changing. While Bella's whereabouts were known, Jessica's weren't. in fact, since she left the room, no one seemed to know where she was. He had been asking around, calling her name. He had even asked Demetri if he had seen he while he had been looking for Jake. The answer had been a negative.

Emmett and James were heading to the elevators, followed by two other officers. It took less than a minute for them to get into a car, and start heading up to the fourth floor. They just got out of the elevator, and were turning into the hallway when someone ran into Emmett. A startled shriek tore from the person's throat as Emmett looked down and saw that Bella was the one who just ran into him.

"Bella," he said, gently yet firmly grabbing a hold of her biceps. Bella looked up, her eyes clouded with tears as she recognized the face of the detective who had originally helped her.

"He's in the room, he killed her," she began to babble, repeating the same to things over and over. Emmett stayed in the hallway long enough to calm he down before having James take her home.

Walking down the hall, Emmett slowly walked to the broken door, looking at the officer who was watching the other door before looking at the one behind him. Motioning with his head, he stepped through the broken door, entering the room with his gun held out in front of him.

He was slow, thoroughly examining the room as he walked around, checking behind every door and any possible place to hide. He discovered nothing before walking into another room. He found something red that looked like blood drops on the floor near the closet, but it wasn't until he arrived at the doorway to the next room that he found another body, this one female as well.

He could tell that she had been killed where she was at, as well as the cause of death. Blood surrounded her body in a display of artful macabre, as if the portrait paper had been colored red before being painted on. A hole just above her left breast told him that she had been hit directly in the heart, little chance of survival.

_She must be the female that Bella was talking about_ thought Emmett as he carefully stepped over the body and blood pool. He made it over without stepping into the blood, the dress she wore having absorbed a bit of the blood. He looked around the new room, noticing some more blood in this room, on the floor at the foot of the bed leading into the bathroom in drops.

He followed it, slowly looking into the bathroom where he saw the blood leading to the tub. Fearing what he might see, he slowly looked in the direction of the tub as he flipped on the light. A sigh went through him as he noticed that there was nothing in it, though there was dried blood leading in a streak towards the drain.

He left the bathroom, holding his gun out as he slowly began bending downwards to look under this bed. Once he was almost able to see, he quickened his pace, ready to shoot. He left out the breath he was holding when he discovered that another body was under there. He stood up, his features grim as he slowly added yet another dead to his growing list of victims killed tonight. He was at four already.

He continued his search, ending up behind the officer that had followed him into the room. They were in the final hallway when a cupboard opened in front of them. He was aimed his gun at the cupboard, his reaction fast as he almost pulled the trigger when he noticed that it wasn't who he was looking for.

His expression went from alert to grim as he placed another victim on his list. This time, it was a male body they found, his clothes soaked in blood. It began to drip from the now open cupboard onto the floor underneath the body.

Emmett turned to the officer in front of him before leaving the room. His target wasn't anywhere in the suite.

* * *

James led the weeping, slightly hysterical Bella out of the building, holding gently yet firmly to her arm. The progress was slightly slow due to his concern of the girl. He kept a small steady stream of whispers at her, telling her that she would be alright. They made it to the door, where police officers had formed a barricade on the steps, keeping all the other students back.

James led her outside, and was barely five feet away from the doors when someone broke through the barricade.

Bella looked up as he name was called to see Jacob coming her way.

"Jacob!" she cried, pulling away from James to wrap her arms around Jacob. He did the same, holding her close as she cried into his jacket. James let them have there moment before he noticed some of the other students start to whisper to each other, wondering what was happening.

"Okay, I've got to get you home," he said gently, leading her over to a car. Jacob refuses to leave.

"I'm going with her," he said. James nodded his head in agreement, knowing that Bella needed him. He ushered them a cruiser, placing them in the backseat because neither of them are willing to part for long, and there was no room for all three of them in the front seat. Jacob is the first to get in, followed by Bella.

Mike, who had just caught site of them, ran over to Bella, stopping her before she could get completely into the car.

"Did you find Jessica?" he asked. Bella shook her head before replying, "I never found her."

Bella got into the car, closing the door behind her as she turned away from Mike, ignoring his perplexed and worried face.

* * *

Meanwhile, Emmett watched as James drove off with Bella as he waited for the SWAT team to arrive, which they did several minutes later. He gathered them in the lobby. Before he went into the lobby himself, he turned towards an officer, saying, "Get these kids to go home."

He made his way to the center of the SWAT team that stood in the lobby. In a quick debriefing, he told the events of the night and gave them their instructions before sending them off. He stood where he was at for several seconds, watching as the hotel staff headed towards him. He began moving once they were in front of him, walking past them as they head outside. He turned as he passed them.

He called to them, "Is this everyone?"

He was answered by several people answer. He listened to all of them, hearing every single one of the answers, which were all confirmative. He turned back to continue on his way. He headed upstairs, ignoring the sounds of doors being smashed down as he waited for his name to be called on the radio. He didn't have to wait long, though the news given wasn't what he wanted. Another body had been found.

He was on the fourth floor when the call came in, looking at the hotel room where the three of the other murders had occurred, so he took the stairs to the third floor, where he caught sight of the newest victim. She looked vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before.

He grabbed his flashlight, turned it on, and turned it towards the body. The new light allowed his eyes to take in the slashed throat and blank stare. He could see dried tear tracks on her cheeks, indicating that she had been crying before she was murdered. He raised his light to look at the other walls, seeing splashes of red on them. An almost straight line was on the plastic to the right of the guys, indicating that she had been turned in that direction when her throat had been sliced open.

"Poor girl," he muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear.

"Who is she?" one of the officers that had followed Emmett downstairs asked. Emmett shrugged, trying to place the familiar face in his mind.

Emmett had no answer.

* * *

James pulled up to the Cullen house. Esme and Carlisle were quick to open the door and run outside, Esme's arms opened wide for Bella, who had hurried out of the car to go straight into her aunt's arms. Jacob also got out of the car, following Bella to her aunt and uncle's side. Carlisle welcomed him to the fold, holding out his hand for Jacob to shake.

"Sir, I called my parents. I would like to stay with Bella tonight," Jacob requested. Carlisle didn't hesitate in telling him that it would be alright. Esme led Bella and Jacob into the house as Carlisle stayed outside with James.

"Hello, sir, I'm Detective James Brinton," James said, holding out his hand. Carlisle gave him a firm shake. "Um, I was wondering, how many entrances to the inside of your house are there?"

"Just the front door and the back door," Carlisle said, before his mind realized what he said, "Why are you asking. Tell me you caught this monster already."

Carlisle didn't need him to answer to know the truth, but he wanted to hear it from James's mouth. James could see that, so he answered him as truthfully as he could, seeing as he wasn't there at the moment and that Emmett could have caught him while he was driving Bella back home.

"As far as I know, they haven't caught him," he said. Carlisle closed his eyes, having already known that. He turned, walking into the house where Esme was waiting for him. He shook his head at her, letting her know without words that Edward was still out there, and She crumpled down, crying. He rushed to pick her up, and carried her to their bedroom.

* * *

Bella sat on her bed waiting for Jacob to return from the bathroom where he was changing; she had already changed out of her dress into some lounge pants and a spaghetti strap top. Her eyes were glued to the television, waiting for the news report that she was watching to come back on. She had the volume on mute for the moment, not willing to hear commercial about coffee and new movies.

The news came back on, and Bella quickly unmuted and turned up the volume as she read the caption at the bottom. Jacob entered a second later, just as the reporter on the television said, "We are here at the Grandview Hotel where a high school's prom night has ended in tragedy."

Bella turned up the volume even more before wrapping her arms around her legs, Jacobs's arms around hers. She leaned back as she listened to the report, a small sob tearing at her throat as she heard the reporter mention that several of the students were missing.

"They're dead, they're dead," she said, her voice gaining strength around the second time.

"Hey, hey. No they're not," Jacob said, quickly putting his arms around her.

"Yes they are," Bella insisted. "Look at the facts. They all –"

Bella was suddenly cut off by Jacob's phone vibrating on the table next to her bed. Without thinking, Bella reached over, grabbing it as she flipped it open to discover that Mike had sent something to Jacob. She opened the message, her eyes immediately filling with tears as she saw what she had said was indeed correct, squashing any hope that she may have yet been wrong.

"What is it?" asked Jacob, grabbing the phone from her suddenly lax hand. He looked at the message, swallowing as he read the text.

_Tyler, Lauren, and Jessica dead. identified the bodies._ Jacob felt a moment of pity for Mike before his worry went back to Bella. He could tell that this was affecting her badly. Wanting to get her mind off of what had happened; he began kissing her, first on her forehead, then moving downward over her cheek and across her nose to the other cheek before reaching her lips.

It took Bella a little while to get into it, but soon she was kissing him back. The kiss was soft, sweet yet it melted her rather quickly. It started to turn passionate, his lips pushing into hers harder as his hands began to move up and down her back and over her arms. It wasn't until Jacob decided to get bold, running his hand towards her chest that Bella froze, moving back slight with her eyes once again wide with fear.

Jacob removed his hands, silently cursing his hormones. He should have known not to do that, especially after what had happened earlier. The last thing she needed was a boyfriend who was eager to take her. He sighed, leaning back as he stretched his arms above his head, silently thanking Carlisle for letting him barrow some clothes.

Bella, who had calmed down without his notice, laid down next to him, snuggling lightly into his side. He gently put an arm around her, turning over to his side so that he spooned her before closing his eyes, the lull of the TV making him fall asleep. Bella followed him into dream land seconds later.

* * *

Mike was still sitting on the steps to the hotel after sending Jacob the text, tears running down his face as he remembered what he had been asked to do.

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

_He refused to leave as the cops began ushering everyone away. He was asked several times, but he didn't want to leave until he found Jessica. While he held onto hope that she was just somewhere else in the hotel and hadn't heard the alarm, a small part of him was worried that it wasn't true. That extremely small part was trying to tell him that she wasn't alright, that she was most likely dead. He kept squashing it, refusing to believe so._

_It was almost an hour after everyone had left when he was approached by an officer, who introduced himself as Officer Marcus, and asked him to follow him. He led Mike to a room where four sheet covered bodies were evenly spread across two beds, another two officers standing in the corners of the room while a physician stood in between the two beds. Mike felt his throat close as he looked at them. While he couldn't see who they were, he could see the general outline of the bodies, and saw that there were one male and three females. Dread filled him as Officer Marcus turned to look at him again._

"_Do you think you could give us an I.D. on these four people?" he asked. Mike nodded, though everything in him was screaming 'No'. He stepped up the body besides Officer Marcus, watching as the physician who had joined them uncovered the face of the only male. Mike felt bile rise in his throat as he swallowed deeply._

"_That's Tyler Crowley, my best friend," He said, looking away. Marcus wrote the name down as the physician recovered the body, moving to the next one, the first of the females. He uncovered it once again, and Mike glanced at the face._

"_Lauren Mallory, Tyler's girl."_

_They went onto the next girl, who Mike named as Tanya Denali before they came to the final one. Mike's stomach began to roll in on itself horribly as he prayed that it wasn't who he thought it was. His prayers when unanswered as the physician pulled the sheet down and Jessica's dull eyes stared at him, the angry red slash on her throat seemingly to vibrate and grow in his eyes._

"_Mr. Newton?" Marcus asked, suddenly aware of Mike silence. He looked up and saw Mike's horrified expression before Mike turned towards him._

"_It's...she's... my girl…Jess," Mike mumbled before swallowing hard, his expression turning into grim determination._

"_Jessica Stanley, my girl," he said, his voice riddled with fake strength. Marcus could tell, though, that it was fake, that he was trying to be strong, and that it was taking everything in him not to drop that he told Mike that was all they needed, and allowed him to leave. Mike walked swiftly out of the room, only stopping once to turn back and see his last view of Jessica before she was covered by the sheet once again._

_He barely got out the door before the tears began falling, blurring his vision as he walked down the stairs, and out of the hotel._

* * *

**End Flashback**

* * *

Mike had been sitting on the steps ever since. He wasn't crying anymore, hadn't been since before he sent Jacob the text. His eyes felt dried, as if he had no more tears to shed out in the open. In fact, he just looked like a blank slate, his chin resting lightly on his folded hands. However, people passing by – police and news crew – who caught sight of his eyes knew that he was affect.

His eyes, the window to his soul, showed how tormented he was.

* * *

Marcus walked into the room that Emmett was in, which was the room that he had found the maid in, Edward Masen's hotel room. Emmett was pacing the room, looking deep in thought, but he stopped and turned his head towards Marcus as he heard his footsteps.

"The kid identified all four victims. The male's name is Tyler Crowley. The female found under the bed is Lauren Mallory, the one found in the hallway is Tanya –" Marcus started, but Emmett waved his hand at him.

"Who was the stairwell victim?" He asked, impatiently. She was the one that he found familiar, but how, he didn't know.

"Um, her name is Jessica –" Marcus started again, only to have Emmett interrupt once again.

"Stanley, right?" Emmett asked. Marcus and the others in the room looked at him in curiosity.

"She's the one Bella was with the night her parents died. I remember interviewing her when we first made the arrest," he explain, leaving out the unimportant parts of the conversation that he had with her, as well as his idea of why she would be dead. He had heard the Mike guy tell the other officers that she had left the room to go look for Bella, and hadn't been seen until they had found he body.

"Sir, we've searched the entire hotel. He's not here," another officer said, walking into the room. Emmett sighed.

"How can he not be here? We've had the people posted at every entrance to the hotel since we got here, and increased the security when we got confirmation that he was indeed here," Emmett said, feeling frustrated. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his chin leaning onto his fists as he tried to think of what might have happened. He looked to the side, away from the others as he concentrated on the bed corner opposite of him.

He noticed something wrong with the sheet; there was a bright red spot, almost the color of freshly spilt blood. It seemed to be growing, bigger and bigger, when he saw a drop of red enter his site before touching the pool of red. _What the…_ he thought, looking towards the ceiling. Marcus, who was standing next to him know, saw his head movement, and looked up as well.

A stream of red was leaving the vent to gather at a corner before dropping down. He stood from the bed, his head still turned towards the vent.

"Someone get me something to stand on," he commanded. There was a flurry of movement around him before Marcus whipped up a sturdy chair for him to stand on. It took them a few more seconds to move the bed out of the way and place the chair almost directly underneath the vent before Emmett climbed up.

Pulling on some gloves, he opened the vent, careful not to touch the blood, and pulled his flashlight from his belt. Turning it on, he straightened his body until his head and arm holding the light where in the dark hole. He looked out ahead of him, the light shining over some electric wires, cobwebs, and dust.

He felt something hit his back, and turned around. His light flashing onto something pale and flesh like. A hand, a cold one from the feel of it, he moved his light, following the hand to the arm and up until he got to the face of the person. His stomach dropped as he tensed as if ice water had been thrown over him. He recognized the person, having met and seen him earlier in the evening around the time that he and James had gotten there.

He realized why no one could find Masen as he pulled himself out of the vent hole, his fast movement dislodging the body that partially followed after him, hanging upside down from the hole. Emmett, however, didn't notice, nor did he hear the exclamations of the officers or the calls of his name as he hurried out of the hotel to his car, his phone in his hand.

He slid into his seat as he dialed James's cell number. Buckling himself in, he turned on the car, and threw it into drive as James answered his phone.

* * *

James, out of the car as he helped circle the house, was startled out of the silence when his phone began to ring. The usually low ringtone sounded impossibly loud at that time. He answered his phone quickly, taking a small glance at the name of the person calling.

He was about to say hello when Emmett's rough and angered voice came through.

"He's escaped from the hotel. I'm on my way there now. Keep an eye on Bella's room. I'm going to call them," Emmett said quickly, hanging up just as fast before James could get a single word in. James looked bewildered for a moment before heading towards his car, which he had parked underneath Bella's window.

* * *

Emmett quickly dialed the number for Carlisle Cullen from memory, putting the phone to his ear as he weaved his way through other cars. He expected to hear the ringing of the phone, but was surprised when a robotic female voice greeted him.

"We're sorry, the number you've call is no longer in use."

"No, no, no," He muttered, ending the call only to try again. The robotic voice answered him again. He did this two more times before recalling James.

* * *

James was no in his car, seated comfortably in the driver's seat as he looked around him, his large hood flashlight shining in front of him. He took several glances at Bella's window. He was waiting for Emmett to arrive when his phone rang again. Pulling it out of his pocket, he looked up once again at Bella's window, seeing nothing except shadows caused by a TV as he opened and accepted the call.

"What is it, sir?" he asked, his eyes trained once again on the window.

"I can't get through to them, something's wrong with the phone," he heard Emmett growl over the phone. "I want you to find get in there, and make sure that everything is fine."

"But, sir, everything is –" James began, only to be cut off by Emmett's furious yell.

"Get in there now, James!" he said before the phone cut of once again. James sighed as he went to open his door. Stepping a foot out, he turned his head as he heard something to his side. A small wind blew, and he saw something peculiar as the bushes moved. Grabbing the control's to his large hood flashlight so that it shone onto the side of the house before stepping towards where the light was shining. His eyes widened as he realized why Emmett couldn't get through to them.

He turned to head towards the front door when his light went off and something hit him, hard, in the face as a sharp pain tore through his gut. He dropped to the ground as blood began to run through his new wound. Feeling the world fade, he used the last of his strength to turn onto his back before darkness overcame him.

* * *

He looked down at the guy in distain before continuing his trek around the house as he looked for a way in when he spotted one. Grinning blankly to himself, he began to silently climb.

* * *

_Bella suddenly woke up. Taking a while to remember where she was at, she was aware of someone talking. Following the sound, she found the TV still on as someone talked about a girl named Mandy. Grabbing the remote and shutting it off,, she looked over at Jacob, who was still sound asleep, undisturbed despite the fact that she had been having a nightmare or the fact that she had turned off the TV._

_Getting up out of the bed, she went over to the window, looking down to discover that the barely seeable cruiser was empty with the door opened. She tilted her head, puzzled by this, but then headed towards her bathroom. Turning on the light, she blinked as the bright light hurt her eyes a bit as she headed to the sink. _

_Opening up the medicine cabinet, she grabbed her pills, popping the cap open to shake out two of them onto her waiting hand. Setting the open bottle on the counter with its cap resting on it, she filled a glass with some water. She took the pills at the same time, swallowing another pill less sip of water before dumping the rest of it out and placing the cup back where it belonged._

_She closed the bottle of pills before shutting the door to the medicine cabinet. A loud gasp left her lips when she saw her parents' murderer was right behind her in the mirror of the cabinet. He suddenly grabbed her by her hair, yanking her back in a swift motion as a pained and panicked shriek of 'No' left her lips. Her head connected with the mirror, shattering it._

* * *

Bella woke up for real this time, gasping for air as terror made it hard to breathe. It took her several seconds before she realized that it was just a dream, a very vivid dream. Sitting up, she disturbed Jacob from his sleep, causing him to roll over to her as he sat up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sleepiness coating his voice and face. Bella looked at him. He looked ready to drop off to sleep again any minute, so she just said, "Nothing. I just have to go to the bathroom, that's all."

She got out of bed as he laid back down, falling asleep almost immediately again. Looking towards the TV, she allowed herself to focus on what was being said, frowning as she heard something about a Mandy on it. She flick it off with the remote, making the room almost silent except for the muffled sounds of another TV that was on, as well as the soft breaths that left her and Jacob. She ignored the sounds, uninterested in them as she got out of the bed, and walked towards the window.

Just like in her dream, the cruiser was barely seeable, and empty, the driver side door left open. Worried now, she walked into her bathroom, which felt hot and stuffy, shutting the door behind her while she took care of her business before opening the window, allowing a cool breeze to float into the room.

She walked over to the sink, washing her hands before opening the medicine cabinet, taking out her pills. Just like in the dream, she took two of them, using the glass that was set on her sink just for that purpose. Putting her pills back in the cabinet, she froze, taking several deep breaths as she positioned herself so that she would be ready to move as quickly as possible, she swiftly shut the medicine cabinet door. She was the only person reflect in the mirror.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. Before jumping as the sound of something clicking shut registered in her mind. It took her several seconds to realized that the sound had been a door. _But which door_ she wondered as she walked toward the shut door of the bathroom. Opening it up, she furrowed her eyes as she saw that the room was completed dark save for the light from the bathroom and underneath her bedroom door.

Shaking her head, she turned off the bathroom light, plunging the room into complete darkness. Staying still for several more minutes until her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she walked forward, finding the small lamp next to her bed, and turning it on. She didn't feel like sleep anymore.

She went to crawl into the bed with a book, only to freeze as she noticed something dark red on the sheets that she had moved. Following the small trail left, she covered her mouth against the scream that threatened to leave her when she saw where the trail ended. A muffled sob broke free as she stared into the glassy eyes of Jacob, a deep cut in his neck.

She backed up, tears beginning to run down her pale cheeks as she felt her back hit her open closet door. She grabbed the door, holding it still as she tried to keep from making a sound as the floor outside her bedroom door creaked. Someone was heading towards her room.

* * *

Emmett pulled his car up next to James' cruiser. Noticing the open door, he pulled out his flashlight. Turning it on, he swept it all around the area, stopping when he saw a human shaped being on the floor. He hurried forward, his heart pounding as he knelt next to James. He saw the wound, and – though he suspected that it was too late – felt James' neck for a pulse. He was surprised, but glad, when he felt one, though it was not as strong as he wished it could be.

He quickly walked to the cruiser, contacting the dispatcher to send an ambulance and some more officers to the Cullen house, where their suspect was at. Then he went to the back door, opening it as he began his search for Masen.

* * *

Bella maneuvered her body around until she could easily hide into the closet of her door opened when she heard her name being called.

"Bella?" the familiar voice questioned, sending a sigh of relief through her. She went to move towards the door, watching as the handle began to twist when someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth as a knife entered her vision. The scream she let loose was horribly muffled, barely hearable to her own ears.

_Help, help, help_ she repeated in her mind as her doorknob began to turn. She kept screaming, hoping for someone to hear her when the voice of her nightmares whispered in her ear.

"Sh, be very quiet or else they'll hear us," he said, his breath hitting her ear. _That's what I want_ she thought as she continued to scream in hope of who ever it was hearing. The knob was almost to the point where another notch and the door would open up when a scream sounded, the doorknob being let go, loudly turning back into place as whoever was behind the door let go.

Hope drained out of her as she heard whoever it was moved away. Muffled sobs erupting from her as she closed her eyes. Behind her, Edward breathed a bit easier, lightly kissing Bella's temple. He stood there for a minute, just holding her, before saying, "You ready to come with me now?"

_No, no, no_ her thoughts repeated, though her head gave a nod. She didn't want to disagree with him, and end up hurting someone else. Who knew what he would do. No, she would need him to be distracted enough to get caught or killed. Sadly enough, at that moment, she was leaning towards him being killed.

She felt him kiss her temple again before walking towards the bathroom. Confusion colored Bella's thoughts until she remembered that she had opened the bathroom window. While it would let out onto the roof, she knew that he could easily throw her towards the ground and disorientate her long enough for him to grab her when he got down. She had to get away from him before that.

She continued to allow him to move her towards the bathroom, only too suddenly stop and throw her head back, smashing the back of her head into his nose. He let go of her immediately, a cry of pain escaping his lips as he brought both hands to his nose. She went straight for her door, yanking on the knob without turning it in her panic.

It took several seconds before she remembered that she needed to turn the knob, which she did immediately. She had just managed to get the door opened a bit when she was grabbed by her hair, yanked back with a strangled scream as the door was slammed shut. She began kicking her legs behind her, connecting with his shins; though she was hurting her bare feet, she could hear his grunts of pain in her ear.

Finally, she managed to hit him hard enough to get him let her go again when she bit his hand that had come to cover her mouth once again. She sprinted towards the door, not noticing that it had been opened, and ran into a wall of hard flesh that felt a bit familiar.

* * *

Emmett, who had covered the entire first floor, finding nothing but an opened window, walked up the stairs, slowly checking the upstairs. The first door he came to was the bathroom, which was completely empty of people. Pulling the door shut as it originally was, he went to the next room, which was another empty room, a guest bedroom. At least, that was his guess.

Finally, he came to the room that he suspected was Bella's room. He brought his hand towards the door.

"Bella," he called out softly to see if she was awake. No answer was called back to him. Throat suddenly dry, he swallowed hard before slowly turning the knob, afraid of scaring Bella and startling the Masen, if he was in the room. He inched the knob until he was seconds from opening it when a sudden scream shattered the silence.

He let go of the quickly, hearing it snap back into place loudly as he hurried towards where the scream had originated. Rushing through the open door, he saw Carlisle with his arms around his wife. Carlisle, who had heard him, spoke to him, his voice a mixture of worry and anger.

"One of your men are down," he simply said, moving away from the window that Esme had been looking out several seconds ago. He took one look out the window to see the man lying a in a pool of blood, and turned back to them to tell them that an ambulance was on its way when Esme, upon realizing that Bella hadn't come running, said, panicked, "Where is she?"

Emmett realized that she was talking about the fact that Bella had not ran in there when Esme had screamed. Several seconds later, they all heard a yell coming from somewhere in the house, followed by the sound of a door opening before being slammed shut again. Emmett hurried towards Bella's room, pausing only a moment to tell Carlisle and Esme to stay there before continuing.

He arrived at the door throwing all caution aside as he opened the door, his gun already pointed; he just needed to see his target before he would fire. The door swung open, and he caught sight of his quarry. He went to raise his gun up higher, ready to shoot, when he someone ran into him. Distracted, he looked down, finding the frightened yet determined eyes of Bella.

He pulled her behind him, raising his gun, ready to shoot as he looked back into the room, only to freeze as his eyes widened in disbelief. The room was completely empty except for the Jacob boy in the bed. A single glance in the light was enough to tell him that he was dead, the blank eyes and blood covered bed being a huge clue.

He took a quick sweep of the room before turning to look at Bella when he heard something scrape against something else. Bella's eyes widened as she realized something.

"The bathroom window," she said, pointing towards an opened door in her room. He immediately went towards it, only to see that it was empty with the window open. He walked over to the window, looking out before running out of the room, and down the stairs, going straight for the front door.

Passing through them, he looked around him, trying to find where Masen might have gone. A silent wind blew his way, rustling the trees as he realized that he had been too late. Edward Masen had escaped again.

* * *

Bella, Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett stood at the airport, several FBI agents with them in civilian clothes. Emmett was wearing regular clothes as well, but he had a jacket on the covered his gun and badge. He knew that the other agents had their guns and badges on. While he knew that it wouldn't be needed all that much, he also knew that it was better to have them on.

It had been two months since he had failed to catch Edward Masen. The ambulance that he had called before entering the Cullen/Swan house all those nights ago had arrived less than twenty minutes after he had gone outside and discovered that Masen was gone. Emmett have figured out that he had fled into the woods because of the fact that all of the cruisers were still there, but by the time he figured that out, he had no chance of catching him. The woods around the Cullen/Swan house were rather more like a forest.

So he waited, leading the ambulance to James, who was still miraculously holding on. They got him to the hospital, where he was making a full recovery at the moment.

Emmett had to call his police captain to let him know that he had fail. Luckily for him, his captain hadn't chewed him out to badly, and after a day of suspension to review his actions, he had been back on the case, hunting down Masen. Unfortunately, they had yet to find him, and Bella had been living in fear since he had escaped from her house. Not only that, but she had began getting letters from him again, all having different return addresses making it hard to pin where he was at.

So, after the first month, the FBI had gotten involved, but they hadn't had much luck in finding him either, and the letters had continued, getting even more explicit in nature as they arrived. But it was the arrival of a video of what he wanted to do to Bella that had set all of them off. It was that which had set off the enrollment of Bella Swan and her guardians Esme and Carlisle Cullen into the Witness Protection Program.

This was what they were all doing there that day. Bella, Carlisle, Esme, and, surprisingly, Emmett, were all being brought to Washington DC so they could get their new Identities. Emmett wasn't originally part of the line up until he not only had someone break into his apartment, but received something that made them add him to the mix. They also thought that it would be better for Bella to have someone she knew around so that she wasn't self conscious.

Carlisle and Esme were also being moved because they didn't want him trying to do something to them in an attempt to find Bella.

So, that was what led them to being at an airport surrounded by FBI agents. Bella turned back to Carlisle and Esme. This was going to be the last time she really saw them; her and Emmett, along with some of their escorts, where taking an earlier flight out, and they wouldn't be able to see each other again until Edward Masen was caught.

Esme opened her arms, allowing Bella to fall into them as they hugged each other, tears falling from their eyes. Bella stayed in Esme's arms for several more seconds before moving over to hug Carlisle, who hugged her back with watery eyes. He wasn't crying though; he felt the need to be strong for Esme and Bella at that moment.

Bella had just parted from Carlisle when an announcement for her flight came on, letting everyone know that they could begin boarding. Bella turned back to them.

"I love you guys. I'll miss you so much," she said, her voice cracking a bit as she sniffled.

"We'll miss you as well," Esme said just as Carlisle said, "We love you too."

A few short laughs were exchanged at that, but they stopped when Emmett, who was still waiting for them with the agents, turned to them.

"Bella, we've got a plane to catch," he said softly after one of the agents asked him to get them to hurry up. Bella nodded her head, giving one last hug to Carlisle and Esme before turning back towards Emmett and walking forward. Three out of the seven agents followed them.

"You okay?" Emmett asked her. Bella nodded, but couldn't help reaching out for Emmett's hand for comfort, which he immediately took. Together, they boarded the plain, though Bella took one last look behind her. _I'll see them again_ she assured herself positively. Then she turned back, following Emmett onto the plain that would bring them to their new destiny.

* * *

_**When I finish it's prequel (what in the chapter prior to this one in this set of stories), then I will come back to this one and edit it. **_

_**Strange Hearts**_


End file.
